Mergirl: Callista's Story
by Ambassador Cara Jade
Summary: The story of Callista's life in the Old Republic, and the Chain of Events that led her to her death on the Eye of Palpatine. NEW CHAPTER UPLOADED! Please R/R!
1. Child Fits Mother

Disclaimer: This story is an original work of fanfiction based on events presented in the novels of Barbara Hambly and Kevin J. Anderson. All Star Wars characters are property of Lucasfilm, Ltd. Chapter titles are quoted from Madonna's "Ray of Light" album. Please don't copy this story-it's my baby and mine alone. Anyway, I'm not making any money off it. It's just to open a window into the mind of a misunderstood character.  
  
Dedication: This story is dedicated to my dear friend Cassidy Austin. May you live forever in the hearts of those who loved you most.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Mergirl: Callista's Story  
  
By Ambassador Cara Jade  
  
  
Part 1: Child fits mother  
  
"I ran and I ran...   
I'm still running today..."  
  
Mergirl, by Madonna  
  
  
  
  
  
  
My name is Callista, and in less than two seconds, I will be dead.   
Not that it matters, really. Geith and Kara are dead, too. Under normal circumstances, I'd be joining them on the other side. The sad truth is that I'll never cross over, because I didn't destroy the ship. Moments ago, I climbed this Force-forsaken shaft to the central computer, the mainframe of this monolithic horror, the Eye of Palpatine.   
Now, because of the enclision grid, one leg is dangling like a slab of charred meat from my hip, and my shoulders have no flesh across them. I'm definitely going to die.   
I thought I could overload the computer, but...something went wrong. The Will knows so much. It's like a disgusting, malevolent demon, taunting me, jeering me, playing a maddening cat-and-mouse game with me. It knew what I was going to do, and it...made it not happen. It made me fail.   
I have no idea what I'm going to do. I can't even think anymore. I'm tired...so tired...can it just end now? How much longer is this torment going to last?   
Now...   
Now the ship shudders violently, and sparks fly all around me. I've crippled something. But not the guns. Not the guns, the most crucial part that had to be destroyed, if nothing else. They still work, by some terrible miracle.   
I lose my faltering grip on the holds and I fall. From experience I know it's over thirteen meters to the deck floor. That's enough to kill me, even if my wounds were not.   
The enclision grids start firing on me again, as if more damage must be inflicted. It's like beating a dead cy'een. One of the lasers must have hit my spine, because suddenly I can't feel my legs anymore. It's getting harder to see, harder to hear. All I see is flashes of light and showers of sparks. All I hear are distant rumblings and the rushing of wind.   
I'm still falling...It's like I'm in slow motion. The ground keeps getting closer, and closer, the grillwork of the deck larger and more detailed...   
There's a place in my mind where I can see my whole life, pure and in perfect detail. I want to hide there, spend the rest of my life in the painful memories of the last twenty-two years, or in a fantasy world where Mama was still alive, where Geith and Kara were still alive, where Palpatine never existed and where the Jedi were never killed.   
But I keep coming back here, to this, the last place I will ever live. Here, in reality, I'm still hurting, still remembering and regretting and wishing...   
And I'm still falling...   
  
  
  
  
  
I was born Callista Galexi Nogati, eighteen years before the purges began. I was the only child in the Nogati family gifted with the Force, so I have no idea where I got it. I just knew that I was different, special somehow.   
My family was happy; I had a brother and two older sisters, two parents. My father was my best friend. We were amazingly close, and every time I needed help or someone to talk to, I always went to him. I think it hurt my mother more than I ever knew, or cared to think about. That's when things started. I was six, and it was almost my seventh lifeday. My father had gone out to see Uncle Claine's new ranching ark and my sisters were at school, leaving me and Josef at home with Mama.   
My little brother Josef and I went to play on the beach. We stood knee-deep in the surf, throwing a ball back and forth. I threw it hard, and Josef dove under the water to get it. As he did, another wave rolled over him. He stood up, sputtering. "You did that on purpose!" he shouted.   
I was laughing so hard I couldn't answer. He ran and tackled me, knocking us both into the water. We wrestled until we were beyond breathless.   
"Kids!" Mama called for us from out little beach house. "Time for lunch!"   
Josef and I jumped up with a cheer, realizing how hungry we were. We raced for the house, kicking up sad behind us like the wake of water behind the boat. I made it through the door first, and tagged the wall. "I win! I win!"   
"You...always...win!" Josef wheezed.   
"Well, I'm older. Of course I always win!"   
"Mom!"   
"Come on, you two." Mama said, tossing her black braid over her shoulder and setting out plates on the table.   
"Hello, children," our housedroid, T-402 greeted us. "I prepared your favorite today: shrimp sandwiches."   
"YAY!" we cheered and sat down. T put our plates in front of us, then disappeared to do the laundry. We ate like ravenous wystohs. We were both finished in less than five minutes.   
"Well, you two certainly were hungry. It must be from all that running around on the beach," she said. Then the sound of the front door closing made us all look to the foyer. My teenage sisters, Maya and Arkna, walked in. "What are you two doing home this early?" Mama asked, using that motherly tone.   
"That moron!" Arkna said in disbelief. "I studied for that test all week last week, and Mr. Churcin had the nerve to give me a D plus. What gives?"   
"He's probably a speciesist." Maya said. "He is a Calamarian."   
"I take it your physics exam didn't go so well?" Mama said, raising her eyebrows. Arkna sighed. "I know, I know. It's never the teacher's fault. Only mine, despite the fact that I studied for that stupid test all kriffin' week--"   
"And watch your language, young lady! Anyway, it is your fault because if I remember correctly, you didn't study at all. You spent the entire week with that boyfriend of yours."   
Josef and I snickered behind our hands. Arkna glared at us.   
"Anyway, you shouldn't be so hard on Mr. Churcin. You know how hard it is for nonhumans to find decent jobs these days."   
"Mom!" Arkna huffed.   
"No more from you. You're grounded for a week, which means no leaving the house!"   
Arkna rolled her eyes.   
"I saw that. Do you want to make it two?" Mama said, standing up.   
Arkna looked at the floor. "No." she said sullenly.   
"All right then. Now you two come have something to eat before you go back to school. Heaven only knows what they feed you there."   
That's how Mama always was. She couldn't stay angry at us for long. My mooka, Jeebie, jumped into my lap with a whine. I patted his head and poked a piece of shrimp at his nose, and he snatched it from my fingers with a wag of his tale.   
"Lissy," my mother warned. She hated it when I fed Jeebie from the table. The mooka leapt out of my lap and pattered to my room.   
We ate in silence for a few moments, but I was never one for quiet. "When does Papa get home?" I asked.   
"He should be back in a couple of hours," Mama answered. "Why, what do you need?"   
"He said he'd help me with my history assignment." I said. "I don't know much about the rise and fall of the Sith Order."   
Mama smiled. "I can help you with that, Lissy. I'm fairly good when it comes to Galactic history."   
"Thanks, Mama," I said. "But I'd prefer it Papa helped me instead."   
"Well, why don't we wait until he gets home, then we can both help you with it?" She tried.   
"It's okay, I think my projects turn out a lot better when Papa helps." I said. I ate the last bite of my sandwich and leapt down from the table. I put my plate in the sink and went to my room to get started, never seeing the hurt look on my mothers face.   
  
  
"So you see, my little one, the first Sith lord, once the betrayer, became the betrayed. He was murdered by his own colleagues, but then they later destroyed themselves. History tells us that within a few weeks, all of them were dead. Except for one."   
"Darth Bane," I supplied, and my father smiled.   
"See, you know this well enough yourself. I think your project will turn out very well." He reached up on my bed and pulled down my chemistry bookplate. "Your sciences, however, could use some help."   
I groaned, and nodded. "He expects us to turn in a three-page essay describing the nucleus of an atom," I said. "He forgets that we're only six years old, not teenagers. Arkna couldn't even do this."   
Papa chuckled. "You're a bright girl, Callista." he said. "And it'll bring you so much when you get older. You could be a doctor, or if you study, even--" he waved the bookplate in his hand. "--a nuclear physicist."   
I wrinkled my nose. "Nah...I want to be a Jedi. Use a lightsaber, travel the galaxy...that'd be so wizard!"   
"I know, Callie, but you have to be able to use the Force to be a Jedi."   
"I know. But it'd be cool, though. But for now, I have to do this stupid science."   
"All the more reason for my help." He said. "Actually, your mother is better with chemistry than I ever was."   
I sighed. "But Papa, I want you to help me. You're my hero, Papa...I love you more than anything else in the galaxy."   
"But Callie, it hurts your mother when you don't want to have anything to do with her. It makes her think you don't love her."   
I stuffed my bookplates into my satchel. "But I do love her, Papa. Really, I do."   
"Good. Why don't you spend some quality time with her tomorrow at your lifeday party? It'd mean a lot to her, I know."   
"Okay, Papa."   
"Lissy! Josef!" My mother called from the hallway. "Bedtime!" She appeared in my doorway. My father's eyes lit up. He always loved her so much.   
"Hello, dear," he said, standing up to kiss her.   
Mama smiled. "It's time for you bookworms to pack it in. Lissy needs her rest."   
Papa came over to me and picked me up in his arms, twirling me around and hurling me lightly onto my bed. "Better do what your mother says, Angel!" I squealed and wrapped my arms around Papa's neck.   
"Good-night, Papa," I said.   
"Good-night, Callista. And think...tomorrow, you'll be seven years old!" He kissed me and turned off my lamp. Mama kissed me too, and I rolled over and closed my eyes.   
My parents left the room. I saw their shadows playing on the wall, my mother leaning against Papa, and I could hear their voices in the hall, quiet and unaware that I was listening:   
"I don't know why she hates me so, Brigam."   
"She doesn't hate you, Kara. She's seven years old. Give her time."   
  
  
"Ha!" I jabbed my lightsaber through the chest of the holographic creature--a Tusken Raider from Tatooine, Uncle Claine had said. The toy lightsaber and target had been his lifeday present to me. He knew my dream of being a Jedi, and encouraged it, even though my parents cautioned him about giving me "false hope."   
I turned in a circle and raised my arms above my head. "What do you think, Jeebie?" Jeebie, sprawled lazily on my bed, perked his ears as if I'd said something interesting.   
Everybody was down on the beach, celebrating my lifeday. Papa had suggested that I stay behind and make amends with Mama. I had made her a bracelet from seashells that I had found in the caves in the cliffs. She was in the fresher, cleaning up. She would be out in a few moments.   
I jabbed at the rancor and the holographic monster roared in pain and disappeared.   
But the cry remained. Intensified. I couldn't hear it, but it was there inside my head. It hurt...hurt like a splash of near-frozen water. Jeebie howled mournfully, hearing it too.   
Then it was gone, as quickly as if it had never been.   
I straightened, gasping. The silence the scream had left behind was palpable, terrifying. I became very scared, somehow knowing what was wrong. "M--Mama?" I said, trembling. "Mama...are you okay?" I tiptoed to the refresher, and gingerly prodded the controls until the door slid aside.   
And gasped.   
Mama was sprawled on the floor, her black hair fanned around her like a shroud, a tiny blue bottle clenched in one hand. Her chest rose and fell in short, labored gasps as she tried to breathe. Her eyes stared straight ahead, not moving, unfocused.   
"Mama!" I shrieked, and dropped to me knees beside her. I put my hands under her shoulders and tried to lift her, but she was already dead weight. "Mama," I said through my tears, knowing instinctively that she was dying. "Why?"   
"Lissy..." she whispered, her weak hand finding mine. "Lissy, my sweet--ahh!" She winced as the poison ate at her insides.   
"Mama, please! Don't die, please Mama...Why did you do this?"   
"Because...because I love you." Her hand tightened in mine, for just a moment before she lost the strength. "Lissy..." she rasped, one shaking hand going to touch my face. "Promise me...when your time comes, join me on the other side. Promise me."   
I sniffed, my tears dripping onto her face. "I promise, Mama. I will, I promise."   
Mama exhaled one more time, then laid still. In shock, I dropped her and she hit the floor with a resounding thud. I backed away on my hands and feet until I hit the wall. Then I just sat there, rocking back and forth, hugging my knees and hyperventilating.   
I don't know how long I sat there, staring at my mother's corpse, her blank eyes and waxy skin. But it had to have been a long time because Papa eventually came to the house to check on us. He found us on the refresher floor, unmoved from the positions we'd been in at the beginning. He stifled a cry of shock and alarm, and stumbled back. Collecting himself, he stood up straight. "Claine," he said into the living room, his voice shaking. "Call a medic."   
He held his hand out to me. "Come here, Lissy. Don't look at her, come here."   
It took me several breaths to remember how my legs worked, then I got shakily to my feet and retreated into his arms. He covered my eyes and led me away. I heard the shrieks of my sisters when they saw her, and their horrified sobs. Josef came up on the porch and sat next to me, putting his arms around me in comfort, and needing comfort himself.   
I sat in silence, rocking back and forth in shock, watching the lights approach and the sirens grow louder.   
  
  
A lot of people came to Mama's funeral. Everyone liked her, and were really sad when she died. Of course, Papa wouldn't tell anyone why she died, or even how, no matter how hard they pressed. He didn't like the idea of her suicide, but he knew just as well as I did why she'd done it.   
The funeral was on the cliff by our house. Mama's coffin was small and shimmery lavender. I stood between Josef and Maya, behind Papa. The coffin shone in front of us like a wicked idol.   
"Kara Nogati will always be remembered as a loving mother, beloved wife, and compassionate friend. Her spirit was taken from this life, but it does not mean her deeds will be forgotten. She will live on in each of you, with memories and love."   
I contemplated that. Yes, I thought. She will be with me forever.   
The priest finished his sermon and closed his little brown book. Papa, Uncle Claine, Uncle Dro, and Grandpa Nogati stepped forward and lifted the coffin off its pedestal. They marched solemnly to the edge of the cliff. Papa bowed his head. "Kara Nogati, we commend your body and your soul to the seas. May the waves carry your memories forever."   
They heaved Mama's coffin into the clear, dark water below. I closed my eyes just before they let go. Beside me, Maya started to cry. I sniffed. Deep down, I knew why Mama had done this. Looking at the faces of my family, I could see that they knew it, too.   
  
  
That night, we ate a dinner Mama's friend Elly had made for us, but none of us were very hungry. Still, we ate in silence; the only sound was the scraping of forks on plates. I stared at my plate, never raising my eyes, though I felt the furtive gazes of my family on me, one at a time. I wondered what the thoughts that propelled those eyes were.   
Finally, Papa broke the silence. "I spoke with your Uncle Claine today," He finished a mouthful of stew, wiped his mouth. "He's taking to the high seas next season, along the Algic Current. He's asked me to come along to help."   
"What did you tell him?" Maya asked quietly.   
"I told him we would join him."   
Arkna choked. "What?!"   
"This house is difficult to maintain as it is. With your mother gone, it'll be damn near impossible. With Claine, we have a place to live, and I have a good job."   
"What about school?" I asked. I didn't like the idea of having to leave my friends.   
Papa shook his head. "Maya will teach you from now on. I'm sorry about this, kids. But I really think this is the best course of action."   
  
  
Before I went to bed, I peeked into Arkna's bedroom. She was laying on her bed, tear-stained face staring out the window. It was beginning to storm outside, and lightning illuminated the night sky sporadically. Maya sat beside her, talking soothingly and stroking her hair.   
"Arkna?" I asked quietly.   
Arkna sat up and glared at me. "What do you want?" Even in the darkness, I could see the animosity in her eyes, and it scared me. She stood up and walked toward me, and I noticed the same look in Maya's eyes as she approached me as well.   
"I--I just wanted to say good-night," I stammered, taking a step back.   
Arkna grabbed my arms. "Why?" She demanded, her voice growing louder. "You never said good-night to Mama, did you? And now she's dead. It's your fault, you know. You were always such a little beast to her! And look at us now. We're four kids with no mother, all because of you. It's all your fault!" She shook me violently, and I fell on my back.   
"I'm sorry! I didn't know! I didn't know!" I shrieked, covering my head. "Please, don't hurt me!"   
"That's right, all you care about is yourself!" Arkna shouted, and slapped me so hard I saw stars. "You killed her!" Her voice reached the stars with its fury.   
"What the hell are you doing!" We all looked up to see Papa staring in the doorway. Josef cowered behind his leg, confused by what he was seeing. Papa looked at Arkna. "Arkna, get away from her, and do not ever hit your sister again. Is that clear?"   
"Yes, Papa." She said, glaring at me as she backed away.   
"There is no one to blame for what happened to your mother. Do you understand? No one is at fault."   
"Yes, Papa." We all said.   
"Callista, get up and go to bed. Maya, Arkna, if I ever catch you ganging up on her again, you will learn the true meaning of punishment."   
I did as I was told, getting to my feet and rubbing the red handprint on my cheek. I kept my eyes on the floor until I passed my father, and then I looked up. From the way he looked at me, I knew he didn't completely believe what he'd said about who was at fault.   
He knew the truth, just like the rest of us. 


	2. Butterfly

Mergirl: Callista's Story  
  
By Ambassador Cara Jade  
  
Part 2: Butterfly  
  
  
  
For ten years, nothing changed. Mama's suicide had made a permanent schism in my family. My sisters were no longer openly hostile with me, but they never again treated me like their sister. Even Papa, my best friend, grew distant as I grew older. It was harder for me to talk to him, and we fought more. He remarried when I was fourteen, a woman named Anela Karea. But she was so unhappy and depressed, she couldn't take care of us.   
We sold our little beach house, moved in with Uncle Claine on his ark and took to the high seas. Papa helped Claine in his ranching endeavor, and business was good. But after a few years, Chancellor Palpatine began cracking down in interplanetary trade and small business. Taxes rose, and the demand for tsaelke meat fell. Chad's seafaring economy suffered greatly, especially where the tsaelke herders were concerned. Claine had to take on kelpherding to make up for the business he lost. He kept his herd, though, figuring the economy would mend itself, or, if worse came to worse, we could use them ourselves. He sympathized with my situation with my sisters, and sent me off the ship as much as he could, which suited me just fine. When we docked once a month, he always sent me to the harbor for supplies. He taught me herding techniques, so I spent a lot of time with his tsaelke, or riding his aujesos.   
Josef, as he got older, began to dream of the stars. He decided he wanted to be a pilot, but he couldn't get a real piloting job until he was seventeen. He treated me better than Maya or Arkna, mainly because he remembered very little about Mama, or the circumstances surrounding her death.   
Arkna got married and moved to the mainland. We rarely saw her after that, except for maybe holidays.   
Maya moved back to the mainland, too. She got accepted to Icari Valley University two years after Mama died. After she graduated, she moved to Coruscant and we didn't hear from her after that.   
I found solace in the ocean and the calming rhythm of the tide and the moon. Most of the time, when I wasn't helping Uncle Claine or Papa, I was swimming or exploring the cliffs or the ice fields.   
A month after my seventeenth lifeday, Claine called me to his side. I had been welding a hull breach in the ark's calving pen. The night before, we'd been attacked by a pack of wystoh, and they'd banged up the ship really well. We'd been repairing and welding all day.   
"Callie! Come here!"   
I lifted my faceplate and switched off the blowtorch, then stood up and turned around. Claine ushered me to come over, so I did. "What is it?"   
"We've accounted for all of the tsaelke after last night, except for six. We're missing six of the cows, it looks like." Claine said. "I have a pretty good idea of where they are, and I'd go get them myself, but you know the cows respond better to you, and we want to get them out quickly. Would you go get them?"   
I shrugged. "Sure. Did Josef send out a foo-twitter?" A foo-twitter would, hopefully, keep the wystoh away long enough for me to go after the cows.   
Claine nodded. "This morning. You should be clear." he said. "Take a blaster, though. Just in case."   
"You're so reassuring, uncle!" I said wryly, and headed to the weaponry closet.   
Josef was in there, polishing his forcepike, "wiping off the wystoh guts," he'd told me. Josef, at fifteen, was already taller than I was, and even though I was his sister, I could tell how handsome he was. His fine dark hair hung in his eyes just a little. The green in them reminded me of Mama's eyes, and I found their warmth comforting. I had the feeling that if he ever got to the mainland, the girls there would never let him come back.   
"Still some cows out there," I said as I entered, and he glanced up. "I'm going after them." I opened a rack of blasters and selected one, my personal favorite--a long blaster with an even longer range.   
Josef nodded. "Be careful. Wystoh don't always go after the foo-twitter."   
"Where's Papa?" I asked, changing the subject. I didn't like it when Josef played big brother.   
"He and Anela are on the mainland until tomorrow."   
I nodded. I shouldn't be more than an hour."   
Back in the pen, Claine had saddled his aujeso colt, Orbit, for me to ride. Herding tsaelke was a lot easier on aujeso-back than in a speeder. I hopped on Orbit's back, felt his wet, rubbery hide beneath my legs. Claine handed me a coat and gloves. As I put them on, he tucked a sheathed dagger into my boot. "Just in case," he said.   
"Don't worry." I said with a confident smile. "I won't need it." I tapped my heels against Orbit's sides, and he swam for the open water. The hold door closed behind me.   
  
  
We were in the Arctic Circle, where we always took the tsaelke in the winter. The water was chilly, not yet frigid, but that would change once the sunset. All around me, there were icebergs. I looked around, searching for the six cows among the jagged peaks of ice. It didn't take me long to find them--they were like black cutouts in a mass of gray and white.   
  
The amphibious creatures had taken root on an ice floe, which floated in a high circle of glistening bergs, nearly enclosed except for one narrow passage. It looked, to me, like an arena.   
I urged Orbit through the passage, counting five of the cows on the floe. "Hey babies! I called. "Come up! Come on, girls!" The cows turned to look at me, recognizing my voice.   
Where's the sixth? I thought. I looked around the ring, and started.   
The sixth tsaelke floated near the ice wall, dipping in the blood-stained water. Nearby the foo-twitter bobbed rhythmically, a ruined entanglement of wires.   
A sharp edged fin broke the water near the tsaelke's carcass.   
A wystoh.   
"Damn it," I muttered, digging my heels into Orbit's sides, urging him to head for the ice floe.   
From nowhere, the wystoh's head appeared behind us, his serrated jaws locking firmly on Orbit's tail and yanked him into the deep, right out from under me. I found myself up to my neck in cold water. I gasped with the shock of it, as if all of the wind inside me ran in terror of the coldness. Also in my mind was the knowledge of a far more terrifying threat beneath me, and that was the more immediate danger.   
I swam for the ice floe, just as Orbit and the wystoh crashed through the skin of the water, a mass of fins and blood and shrieks and teeth. Orbit brought his tail down on the wystoh's jaw, clamping it shut so the monster bit his tongue off. The wystoh howled in pain and lunged savagely at Orbit's neck. His dagger teeth found flesh, and bit down hard, slicing into Orbit's jugular. Orbit flailed back, and collapsed into the water, dead.   
Horrified, I scrambled onto the ice floe, reaching for my blaster and hoping it wasn't waterlogged.   
Luckily, it wasn't.   
The tsaelke were pawing nervously at the ice, sensing the nearness of danger. The wystoh kept coming, and I cocked the blaster at the ready. The wystoh was circling now, trapping his prey.   
Then, all at once, he changed course and came right at us.   
I took aim, fired...again, and again. Unconsciously, I was moving closer, and closer to the edge. The wystoh jumped out of the water, right in front of me, jaws gaping and teeth flashing.   
I screamed and fell back, and his teeth closed on the rifle, yanking it back into the water with him. I let go before he could take me with it. The wystoh tossed the rifle aside, almost as if he knew he was disarming me, then started for us again. He was more interested in the tsaelke, prancing and braying behind me, but I was between him and them. I bent to one knee and unsheathed the dagger Claine had tucked into my boot. I doubted I could inflict much damage, but I figured I could hold him off until Claine or Josef got the idea that something was wrong and came after me. I jabbed every time he lunged, and he would fall back a little.   
But soon he grew bold and lunged closer. It got harder and harder to defend myself. The dagger blade gouged his neck and muzzle, and he hissed angrily. My hands were bloody. The wystoh lunged closer than ever, and without thinking, I plunged the knife into the top of his head, clear to the hilt. I heard the popping of cartilage as his skull cracked with impact. The wystoh shrieked and retreated, thrashing madly. Slowly, he limped for the passage, the only escape route. As he got nearer, he crashed heavily with the wall, knocking loose ice. It avalanched down, crushing out attacker--   
--and blocking our escape.   
"No!" I cried.   
The ice and snow splashed down with a loud crash, and the five tsaelke lowed and dove into the water. I stared at the closed-off passage, and thought, How am I going to get out of this? My adrenaline rush was wearing off, and I suddenly became painfully aware of how cold I was.   
And then the strangest idea came to my head. I could move the ice.   
The notion felt crazy, but it seemed to fit. Even as I stared at it, imagining the ice moving of it's own accord, the smaller piece trickled down into the water.   
No way. I thought in amazement. I couldn't believe it, but I imagined that the rest of the Ice would explode outward into the water--   
--and it did. By some miracle, it did, loudly crashing into the water outside.   
I stared at the reopened passage, shell-shocked. It was several moments before I moved again, but when I did, I looked around for the tsaelke. They were milling around the ring nervously, needing guidance. I crawled to the edge of the floe, shaking. The rough ice burned the skin of my hands and knees, leaving tracks of pink in my wake. I stuck my fingers into the water and wiggled them, making tiny splashes to catch the attention of the nearest animal.   
"Hey, pretty...here girl." I beckoned. The cow obeyed me. She was our oldest, and the others usually followed her. I figured I could ride her back to Claine's ark, and the others would follow us. I grabbed the old cow's dorsal fin and pulled myself onto her back. She swam for the passage, and sure enough, the others trailed after us. I could hear their mournful songs as they communicated, and I imagined that the old one was consoling and soothing the others, after the trauma of the attack. It was comforting to me, as well.   
It took us an hour to get back to the ark. When we finally reached home, it was late, dark, and cold. I was still wet from the attack, my knees stung, and I was exhausted. I was still reeling from what had happened--had I really moved the ice with my mind? Did it mean that...   
"Callie!"   
A bright light shone down on me, and I heard my Uncle's voice behind it. I raised a hand over my eyes and looked up. Josef and Uncle Claine stood at the stern, looking down at me. "What happened?" My uncle called down.   
"Wystoh attack!" I yelled back. "We lost one, plus Orbit and your rifle before I killed him."   
"Are you all right?" Josef yelled.   
"I'm fine! Open the gate!"   
I corralled the tsaelke, and by the time I was done, Claine and Josef were at the end of the dock, waiting for me. Josef pulled me out of the water, and threw a blanket around me. "Your lips are turning blue," he joked with a wink. I laughed quietly. He looked at my bloody knees. "And your knees look like ground meat."   
"Josef, go take care of Callista." Claine said. "I'll check up on the tsaelke."   
Josef nodded and helped me to my room. He left me alone so I could change into some dry clothes. Once that was done, I padded to the kitchen, where Josef was waiting with a medkit and a mug of warm jeru tea. I accepted the mug gratefully and sipped it, letting the warm, syrupy liquid flow through me and banish every chill in my body.   
Josef sat in front of me, producing a bottle of disinfectant and examining my knees. "Hmm....looks just like what we had for dinner tonight." He said, mock-serious. I laughed, and tilted my head back. Josef smiled. "So...how'd you kill him?" He asked. He always loved to hear my stories.   
I smiled and sat forward. "Jabbed the knife into his brains. Poor dumb thing didn't have a prayer."   
Josef laughed again, and began clean my knees. "Ouch!" I yelped as he dabbed the skin with the disinfectant. "That stings."   
"Good," he replied without looking up. "That means it's working."   
I sat back quietly and sighed. After a moment of contemplation--whether or not I should divulge the other events that had occurred in the water--I said, "Josef, can you keep a secret?"   
"Sure."   
I sat forward again, leaning close, conspiratorial. "I can do it." I said.   
Josef just stared at me, not understanding. "Do what?"   
"Use the Force. I have it. All these years I've dreamed of being a Jedi...now I can! Now I can, and I can get away from here, and make everything right again. Papa can be proud of me, then."   
Josef looked at me. "I--I'm happy for you, Callie, but I wish you wouldn't leave. I know things have been especially hard for you since Mama died, and I'm sorry for that. I never blamed you for it, you know. I never once thought that it was your fault that she did it. Even when Maya and Arkna tried to convince me, it didn't seem right. I couldn't believe it."   
Suddenly shy at the thought of being caught in a tender moment, he averted his eyes and finished cleaning my knees. I wiped my eyes of their mist and only flinched a little.   
  
  
For a week or two, nothing happened. Things went business as usual, and I began to worry that my experience would disappear into oblivion without anything being done. But I was wrong--one week later, I had a dream...   
  
I was floating in the sea, near the ice floes. The water was freezing, wild, and bloodthirsty. It crashed around me and slapped me in the face, stealing my breath. Several times I was sucked under, and everything became as silent as death for endless heartbeats.   
I looked around desperately for help, for Papa, or Josef, or Claine in his ark. But I was all alone, helpless. I tried to swim for the ice floe, but my arms and legs were frozen solid. I began to sink, my arms outstretched and unable to move. I tried to scream, but the saltwater filled my lungs. I wondered what had happened, why I couldn't swim.   
A hand closed over mine, warm and firm. Large strength was behind it, because I was lifted bodily from the water. The contact of skin on skin melted the dystrophy of my muscles, and suddenly I could move with a fluidity matched only by water itself. I rose from the cold water wrapped in a blanket of warmth, until I stood on the surface.   
A man stood in front of me, holding my hand. He was old, his face lined and wizened. White hair haloed to his shoulders and fuzzed his chin and under his nose. His warm brown eyes sparkled like muddy topaz underneath dark black brows.   
The sky grew light around us and the wind calmed, but the sea did not stop its rebellious churning. We stood about a foot over the water, hovering like we were on an invisible platform.   
The man stared at me frankly as I stared back. His expression was that of pleasant surprise, like he'd just happened upon me on a midday walk. He tilted his head to the side, as if to regard me from a different point of view. "Are you ready, Callista?" His voice was wry and heavily accented, a rich, friendly brogue.   
The light intensified, and before I could answer, I was back in my bed on Claine's ark, sitting up and gasping. I wiped my forehead and raked my fingers through my sleep-disheveled curls. Taking a deep breath, I looked out the window. It was light already. I'd slept in.   
"Blast," I muttered and threw off my quilt. In seconds I was dressed and heading for the kitchen. Anela was there already, clutching a mug of coffeine and staring at the holoproj unit. I tripped down the stairs, fumbling with my boots.   
"You're late," Anela said over her shoulder.   
I rolled my eyes. "Are they still here?" I said, grabbing a sunfruit.   
"Brigam's waiting on the skiff."   
Without another word, I left the room and ran for the hold. I bit my lip, knowing that Papa was going to be angry.   
I could see Papa's stern look as I tramped down the spiral staircase. He stood on the driver's side, arms crossed. "You're late, Callista Galexi. Kelp doesn't adhere to your sleeping schedule, young lady."   
"I'm sorry. I didn't know it was so late. You should have gotten me up." I replied as I jumped into the skiff. Papa sat beside me and put the speeder in gear.   
"I've sent Josef and Claine on ahead to start gathering the kelp." We pulled out of the hold and rocketed over the water in silence. Claine and Josef had corralled the wander-kelp in a shallow bay a few miles from the ark. Josef straddled our mare, Milla, and rode her back and forth across the mouth of the bay, monitoring the kelp to make sure they didn't escape. He waved as Papa and I approached. Papa slowed and allowed me to jump into the water. My job would be to catch the kelp in the water and bring them to Papa and Claine for shearing.   
We worked for hours in the sun, shearing the kelp. Claine and Papa gathered enough of the leaves that we could make deliveries to three of our clients, rather than the usual one or two. It was, without a doubt, a good harvest.   
Claine whooped emphatically as he lifted another mass from my hands. I smiled. He hadn't been so excited since the last time Pekkie Blu and the Starboys had come to town. "How many more you got, Callie?" He asked me.   
I looked out at the bay. "About eight, maybe ten," I replied. It was impossible to tell exactly when all I was looking at was one huge mass of leaves. I was, of course, guessing.   
Claine smiled. "Maybe our luck's changing, eh?" he said, rapping his knuckles on the wooden deck of the skiff. He smiled and winked, then tossed his sun-bleached hair back and started shearing the kelp.   
I dove back into the water to retrieve the next kelp. When I came up for air, Josef was fighting for control of his mare. The splashing of the kelp had spooked her and she was bucking madly. She threw Josef into the water and took off for the open water. I swam as fast as I could for Josef through masses of floating leaves, afraid he had hit the jagged rocks that surrounded the bay.   
As I drew nearer, though, his head broke the surface, sputtering and coughing. I reached his side and grabbed his arm. "Are you okay?" I said, maybe a little too loud.   
"I'm fine! Go get Milla!"   
I nodded and dove under the water, following the spooked aujeso. Once out of the cove, it was worlds easier to see where I was going. Milla was about thirty meters from me, out of sight of the cove, and getting farther away. I swam harder, trying desperately to close the distance. I knew Claine couldn't afford to lose another of his aujeso, after the wystoh attack the week before where we'd lost Orbit.   
Slow down, baby! I thought, semiconsciously directing the thought right at her.   
It was impossible that she heard me, but she slowed anyway, then stopped. She idled calmly in the water, a polar opposite to her previously frantic state.   
Thank you, I thought, exhausted. I approached her and surfaced, grabbing her reins. "What ya thinking, sweetheart?" I said, patting her wet hide. "You're running me ragged!" Milla hummed softly, like she was pleased with herself. "Yeah, I'm sure." I said with a laugh, and pulled myself onto her back.   
As I did, I heard another sound--a boat motor. I turned around and shaded my eyes against the glare of the sun on the ocean.   
A boat was coming at me. Fast. It didn't look like it was about to stop.   
I waved my arms. "Hey!"   
It kept coming. I dug my heels into Milla's sides, but she didn't move. What the-- I looked down, and to my dismay, Milla was dipping her head into a pod of water plants, munching away. "Come on, girl...there's a boat coming at us. Fast. You know what'll happen if you don't move? The boat'll hit you and Uncle Claine will have to put your hide to new use. Does the word 'luggage' mean anything to you!" I urged her again, but she didn't move.   
"Come on!" I yanked the reins hard and jerked her head upward, digging my heels in with new intensity. Finally, she took off, and swam out of the boat's path. We had just barely enough time to get out of the way. The boat passed, splashing us in it's wake.   
Then it slowed.   
I caught up Milla's reins and turned her around. There was a man wrapped in brown robes standing on the deck, staring at me. I urged Milla closer. "What the hell are you thinking? Why don't you watch--" I froze when I saw the man's face. The white hair, the wizened features...this was the man from my dream. I clamped my mouth shut.   
The man chuckled, like he was expecting my outburst. "I'm sorry, I didn't see you. Didn't mean to frighten you, or your creature. What is he, anyway?"   
I was too stunned to speak. I sat staring at him like an idiot for several seconds, until he leaned closer. "Is something wrong? You didn't have any difficulty speaking a few moments ago."   
I shook myself. "Huh? Wha--no. No, it's just...I've seen you before."   
"Have you? What's your name?"   
"Callista. Callista Nogati."   
"Ah. And Callista, why, praytell, would you dream of me, someone you've never met? Furthermore, someone who almost killed you?"   
I pulled back on Milla's reins. "Maybe that's why. Perhaps my dream was warning me of strange men in strange clothes on strange boats."   
The man chuckled. "Very good." He said, amused.   
"And you are you? You're not from around here."   
"You're right. My name is Djinn Altis. I'm a Jedi Master."   
That caught me blindside. I almost fell off Milla's back. Djinn Altis saw this. "Does that surprise you?"   
"No--uh, yes, actually. A little. Yes." I said.   
Djinn Altis nodded. "I think I know why. Could you come on board for a moment?"   
Papa would be furious to know that I'd boarded a stranger's boat, but I didn't feel apprehensive at all. I knew I could, in fact. I tied Milla's reins to the hull's ladder and climbed up to the deck. I stood in front of him, facing him, staring him down. He was my height, but showed no signs of old age in his stance. His posture was straight and proud, like he was indestructible. He held his hand out, as if to shake mine. I looked at it apprehensively, and he laughed. "Suddenly you're nervous? It's all right, I won't hurt you."   
I slipped my wet hand into his. Djinn Altis reached out and touched my forehead. Suddenly, I felt something inside my head probing and reaching. I saw things--memories, visions, light, electricity--surrounding me and engulfing me.   
Then I was gasping and shaky on my feet. If not for Djinn's hand around mine, I would have fallen. I opened my eyes, stared at him. He was looking at me, his hand withdrawn. His eyes sparkled, like he knew something. "Very good, Callista. Have you ever heard of the Jedi Knights?"   
My heart leapt into my throat, then belly-flopped into my heels. "Yes. Yes, sir, I have." 


	3. Walk Away

Mergirl: Callista's Story  
  
By Ambassador Cara Jade  
  
Part 3: Walk Away  
  
  
Papa didn't like it. That much I could tell by the tone of his voice, audible   
through the wall. He and Master Altis sat in the office, performing a careful dance   
of words over my fate, as if I was a business deal:   
"Mister Nogati, your daughter has a great talent for the Force. If she was   
trained, she could become a powerful Jedi who would protect the people--what   
greater calling is there?"   
"I understand your intentions, Master Altis. Unfortunately, I cannot allow it   
to happen. Right now, our planet's economy is at an all-time low, and we herders   
are taking the brunt of it. I need every hand I can get right now. I am not as   
young as I once was, nor is her uncle. Her brother will be enlisting in the   
Republic Navy next year. If she leaves as well, there will be no one to shoulder   
our business, which has been our lifeblood for ten years. You understand, I'm   
sure."   
I sighed and dropped my arms between my legs. When I'd introduced   
Master Altis in the bay, Papa had been reserved, at best. I'd always known that   
he wanted me to stay, but it had never been my intention to actually do it. His   
dream for me was to keep Uncle Claine's business alive and kicking until my kids   
could do the same.   
Djinn paused. "Mister Nogati, how old is Callista?"   
"Seventeen last month."   
"And she's had a very troubled childhood, yes?"   
I inhaled sharply. How in the world?   
"She told you that?" Papa said, a tone of resentment threading his words.   
"In a way. I could see it."   
"Using your little mind tricks, I bet." A pause.   
"Perhaps it's for Callista to choose her own path."   
There was a silence, rescued only by Papa's squeaking chair. After   
several seconds, the squeaking stopped. "My daughter is old enough to choose   
for herself. But I doubt she will go with you."   
Like hell I won't, I thought.   
"She may see things differently." Djinn replied.   
"Master Altis...I don't think you understand. I don't want Callista to be a   
Jedi. It just isn't the plan I have in mind for her."   
I thumped my head against the wall and groaned inwardly. Papa knew   
how much I wanted this, and he knew how slim my chances were of actually   
being able to.   
"Let me speak with Callista about this tonight. Come back tomorrow   
morning, and we will have your answer."   
I sighed again. Great. He was going to take tonight to try and talk me out   
of it, and he was going to play the guilt card. Remember your dream I thought to   
myself. Don't let him sway you.   
I heard the sound of standing up. Djinn Altis said, "Very well. I will call on   
you in the morning." Footsteps, then the door slid open. Djinn stepped out, and   
walked past me, his head high. I stared up at him, and he flicked his gaze   
downward to meet mine. Don't worry I heard his voice say in my head.   
Everything will turn out as it should.   
I smiled tightly and nodded. Djinn walked past me, and I returned my gaze   
to the office door. Papa stood with one hand on the frame, staring after the Jedi.   
He looked at me. "Don't for a moment think that I'm going to let you leave with   
that lunatic." He said.   
"He said it's my choice." I countered evenly.   
"He's not your father."   
I sighed, growing tired of his desire to control my life.   
"Come in here," he said. "We'll be fair and civil about this."   
I stood up and followed him into the office. He sat behind the desk and I   
sat in front of him. He cleared his throat. "Callista, I know that you and I have   
grown apart since your mother died. And I regret that, I really do. I wish I could   
give you the freedom that I once promised you, but with the Chancellor's tariffs,   
and business failing, I really have no choice but to keep you here."   
"Papa," I said, leaning forward. "This is everything I've ever wanted since I   
was a little girl."   
"I know, Callie. But if you leave everything we've worked so hard for the   
last ten years..." He waved his hand and clicked his tongue, at a loss for words.   
"Callie, I need you here."   
"I know this is the right path for me. A week ago, I felt the Force inside me.   
It saved my life. Last night, I had a dream about Djinn Altis. Do you really think   
that all this is just coincidence?"   
He was silent, his eyes downcast. I reached out and took his had. "I love   
you, Papa, but I know that this is my destiny."   
He looked at his and under mine, and withdrew it. Sighing, he stood up.   
"Fine. You want to go, go. But, if you leave here, if you walk out on this family,   
you do it for good. If you leave with that man, I don't want you coming back.   
Ever." He walked out, adding, "Make your decision on that ultimatum."   
  
I didn't sleep that night. I sat at the bow of the ark, looking out over the   
sea. The guardrail post was cool against the side of my face. The stars reflected   
on the water, distorted by the restless ripples. I was lost in thought--would Papa   
really kick me out? And would I have the heart to go through with what I knew   
had to be done? Memories flowed through me, pain and bittersweet joys and   
dreams. I remembered a better time, before Mama had died, when everyone had   
been happy. It was amazing to think of a young girl on a beach and to realize that   
we were the same person. It was amazing to know that my father now was the   
same father that had helped me with my homework before we'd left for the sea,   
and that my brother and I used to wrestle in the surf and that my sisters would   
always be around. They were all the same people.   
But not really.   
At four hours past midnight, I made my decision. I went to my room and   
started packing a bag.   
I was still packing when Josef knocked on my door. I didn't look up as he   
entered. "Did I wake you?" I asked, swallowing.   
Josef shrugged. "It's okay." He looked at my bag. "You're leaving." He   
said.   
I nodded. "Djinn Altis is a Jedi, and he wants to train me." I looked at Josef   
and forced a smile.   
He nodded. "When do you come back?"   
I felt the fake smile melt and slide off my face, and I turned away. Maybe if   
it dripped into my bag, I could take it with me. I touched my hair to surreptitiously   
brush tears from my eyes. "Um...I don't. I'm not coming back." I looked back at   
him and saw the surprise in his face. Before he could ask, I explained: "Papa   
says that if I leave, he won't take me back." I laughed ruefully. "He's kicking me   
out."   
Josef sat on the bed next to me. "You're kidding. You're really doing it? I   
don't think I could."   
I close my bag and rested my head on his shoulder. "I wasn't sure I could,   
either, but I cant turn away from this if it's what I'm meant to be. Everything that's   
happened for the last week has happened for a reason, and it's all been leading   
up to this. If I turn my back now--" I sighed. I couldn't finish that sentence.   
Unexpectedly, Josef turned and hugged me. "Promise me you won't   
disappear. At least write, or call." I heard a sudden waver in his voice, a new fear   
that he didn't know how to cope with.   
"Okay," I said, allowing the embrace to last just a few more breaths before   
pulling away. I stood up. "Okay, um...I don't know if I can face Papa. I'm just   
going to leave a note and go." Even as I said it, despair flooded through me, so   
much that I felt weighted down every time I breathed. My eyes stung with   
emotion. I grabbed a sheet of flimsiplast and a stylus. As my brother watched, I   
wrote only a few words, but self-explanatory:   
Papa, I've made my decision. I love you. Lissy.   
"Come on," Josef said. "You should leave before he's awake to object."   
We crept through the ark as quietly as possible, masking our movements   
behind the creaks of the ark as it released yesterday's heat like a saturated   
sponge. Shadows played on the walls with the reflections of the water's ripples.   
Josef swung himself over the railing of the hold's skeletal stairs. He   
reached his arms up for my bag. I tossed it down to him and followed him over   
the rail. I landed steadily on the deck and jumped into the speeder. Josef   
punched the door release. Before us, the wall disappeared like the destruction of   
my final barrier between me and my destiny.   
The engine kicked in, lathering the water behind us. Josef threw the   
speeder into hear and we streaked through the water, away from my home. I   
didn't dare look back, or I would change my mind. I hung my head and squeezed   
my eyes shut, brushing my cheeks to wipe away the sea spray that dotted my   
cheeks. Perhaps it wasn't the sea touching my face after all.   
We drove for only a few minutes, but it seemed like hours to me. Djinn   
Altis had parked his boat in the cove we'd been shearing the kelp in. Josef killed   
the engine and we idled softly to the side of the boat. I tossed my bag over my   
shoulder and stood up. Josef stood too, and turned to face me. I looked at him   
for an instant before throwing my arms around him. He hugged me tightly, but   
only for the briefest of moments. He looked at me and sniffed. I stared back at   
him. "I'll be back. I promise. Without another word, I turned and climbed up the   
ladder and onto the deck of Master Altis' ship.   
Josef watched me ascend, then sat down in the speeder. I watched as he   
drove away, until all I could see was the spray of his wake.   
"Glad you could make it."   
I swung around. Djinn Altis stood behind me, hands folded.   
  
We docked in the port city of Geramlia an hour later, leaving the boat   
behind. "Where are we going?" I asked.   
Djinn looked up into the early morning sky. "Into the stars,"   
I raised my eyes and looked up as well, at the fading diamonds dotting the   
waning darkness. I'd never been higher than the cliffs near our old beach house.   
The sudden idea of being among the stars enchanted me. A smile spread across   
my face. The streets of Geramlia only trickled with the flow of people in the   
early morning. It was, after all, only four and a half hours into the day. We made   
our way quietly, keeping to ourselves. I followed Djinn like an obedient pet, and   
he led me to a docking bay in the center of town.   
There, I saw the most beautiful ship I'd ever laid eyes on.   
Small, sleek and streamlined, like a cy'een calf, the little ship stood like a   
deity before me, the sunlight cresting over the skyline and bouncing off the silver   
curves. "Wow," I breathed in awe. Never before had I seen a ship like that, at   
least up close.   
"You like it?" Djinn said, striding towards it and keying the hatch open. I   
reached up and stroked the hull. The metal was smooth, cool under my hand.   
"It's beautiful," I said. What kind is it?"   
"Just a lander. We're going up to a larger ship. The Chu'unthor."   
"Chu'unthor? I repeated.   
"Yes. Your new home." He said, and disappeared up the ramp into the   
lander.   
My new home. Suddenly I felt an infinite sadness, at the thought that my   
oceans would no longer be home to me. I looked through the alcove that led out   
of the docking bay, at the meager view of the sea afforded between buildings and   
pedestrians.   
Let it go, I thought, and turned away before I could convince myself to   
change my mind.   
We lifted off ten minutes later. Djinn guided the ship over the ocean, still   
dark at daybreak. I sat in the copilot's seat, my hands clenching the arms of the   
chair.   
"Do you see this, Callista?" Djinn gestured to the wide ocean before us.   
"All you're life you've been surrounded by life and death in the Force. This entire   
planet is alive. The cy'een, the coral, the fish...it all has its place in the Force. It's   
my lot in life to make young people like yourself learn to see, hear, feel, smell,   
taste it." He glanced at me. "In time, you will learn to feel the life in everything.   
You will be a Jedi."   
I felt like I'd been yanked into the air to a higher altitude than I'd ever been   
before. It was breathtaking, exhilarating. I sat forward, closer to the viewport, to   
see, to sense, to know the ocean, my home, in a way I'd never imagined. I   
strained, tried to find that place I'd been at a week ago, that place where I had   
moved the ice.   
"Close your eyes," Djinn said.   
I looked at him, confused. "But how can I..." I closed my mouth,   
reconsidering, and turned back tot he viewport, and closed my eyes.   
"Now breathe. You're tense. Release that tension. You can't grasp one   
thing if you're holding too tightly to another."   
I took a deep breath, so deep that its wind swept up all my doubt and   
demons, and expelled them in a long sigh.   
"Now reach." he urged. "Send your mind into the water. Become the   
water."   
I pictured diving into the water, disappearing and transforming.   
LifeDeathExistenceSymbianceSurvival   
I felt them all...all at once! Something I'd only dreamed of, but for the first   
time, I knew the sea was alive. The last traces of atmosphere melted behind the   
ship, leaving us to the cold infinity of space. I had to hold my breath to retain my   
surprise, but it soon bubbled over. Djinn looked over at me and chuckled. He'd   
seen my reaction, no doubt the same one he'd seen a dozen times before.   
"You've never seen space before," he observed.   
"Not without my feet on the sand," I replied. "That's nothing compared to   
this." I looked all around me, and every angle was dotted with stars--everywhere,   
like someone had shattered ice over a black blanket. What had once been my   
entire existence was now only a tiny sliver of blue light along the edge of the   
viewport, insignificant in the vast expanse. The moons glowed ominously like   
mystical orbs. Directly ahead of us, a long, flat craft hovered, almost invisible. It   
was huge--it looked for all the world like a row of tall skyscrapers laid on their   
sides. Lights glowed all throughout it, signs of life. I sat forward in awe. "Is that--"   
"--the Chu'unthor." Djinn finished. "The wanderer. A ship with no   
destination." He nodded towards it. "There you will learn the way of the Jedi."   
We touched down in one of the docking bays. As I looked out the   
viewport, I saw two figures waiting on the platform, a man and a woman.   
"The young woman down there is my padawan." Djinn said. "She'll show   
you around."   
"Padawan?" I repeated. I'd never heard the word before.   
"A student of mine that has been with me a very long while. There are   
many masters here, and many padawans, but even more students. One day you   
may become a padawan yourself." He powered down the lander and stood up.   
"Well, let's go."   
I shouldered my bag and followed him to the hatch. My stomach fluttered;   
I was both nervous and excited. Djinn glanced at me. "Fear leads to the dark   
side, Callista." He said.   
I took a deep breath. "Okay."   
"Another thing--from now on, it would be better if you said 'Yes, Master.'"   
I nodded. "Yes, Master."   
He keyed open the hatch and the ramp lowered. We walked down and   
met the two Jedi students.   
The woman was shorter, and looked a few years older than I was. Her hair   
was long, straight and brown, shot through with acid streaks of blond. Blue eyes   
sparkled from a clear freckled face.   
The man beside her was human as well, at least at first glance. He was   
tall, his hair black and spiky. his expression was calm, yet open and friendly. But   
his eyes were very strange. The violet irises, rather than circling his pupils,   
radiated outward like animal stripes across the whites of his eyes. I wondered if   
he was part alien or if it was due to some birth defect.   
"Welcome home, Master." The man said. His voice was a low tenor, full of   
respect. He and the woman half-bowed, and Djinn returned the gesture.   
"Thank you, Soonta." He turned to me. "This is my new student, Callista   
Nogati. Callista, I'd like you to meet Kasidy Ostin and Soonta Ley'n."   
I stuck my hand out and shook with each of them. "Hi. It's great to meet   
you."   
"Likewise, Callista." Kasidy said. Though shorter than I was, she carried   
herself in such a way that she seemed my height. She seemed very confident,   
very sure of herself. I was aware of how I looked next to this well-kept, pretty   
woman in my ragged homespuns and sun-baked hair.   
"Master," Soonta said. "Captain Graim wished to speak with you as soon   
as you returned."   
Djinn nodded. "We can't keep the good captain waiting. Kasidy, take   
Callista on the grand tour, and to the meal hall for breakfast."   
"Yes, Master." She smiled warmly at me and took my arm. "Let's go."   
Kasidy showed me to the starboard wing of the leviathan ship first, where   
the students were quartered. "You'll need to be careful for a while. It's very easy   
to get lost here."   
"I can imagine," I replied, keeping in step beside her. "How long should it   
take me to learn my way around?"   
I don't know, how's your sense of direction?" She asked in return.   
"Not too shabby."   
"A couple of days, maybe a week, tops. You'll do fine."   
We strode through the corridors o the starboard wing, Kasidy explaining   
things as we went. "Classes begin at oh-six-hundred hours. I recommend you   
wake up and hour or so early so you don't fall asleep during lectures. Since you   
have no prior training, they'll probably start you in the beginning courses, which   
help you feel out your place in the Force and find what your specialties are."   
"Specialties?" I asked.   
"Every Jedi has an aspect of the Force which they master particularly well.   
Telepathy, telekinesis, healing...there are many."   
The outer hall was a floor-to-ceiling viewport. I looked outside to the vista   
of Chad and the glimmer of Icari behind her. Papa was probably just waking up   
and finding me gone. "What's your specialty?" I asked.   
"I can sense people's emotions," she said. And as a stared out the   
viewport, she appeared outside, seeming to stand on the North Pole of the   
planet. And I'm learning projection under Master Altis.   
"Whoa," I took a step back from the viewport and looked at Kasidy as she   
looked right next to me. She stood very still, her eyes half-closed. "Weird." I said.   
Kasidy opened her eyes. "But it can be done. That's what you're here to   
learn." She made a gesture with one hand. "Let's keep walking. More play can   
come later."   
We kept walking, and Kasidy continued in her tour. Looking around, I was   
surprised at how few people I actually saw. "Where is everyone?" I finally asked.   
"Most everyone is in the mess hall, or in their quarters meditating. It's early   
yet." Kasidy answered. I glanced at my wrist chronometer and was surprised to   
see that it was only five hours past midnight.   
"Here's your room," Kasidy said, indicating a door with the number 51516   
etched on its face. She keyed the door open and ushered me inside. The room   
was small, but accommodating, with a bedroom and adjacent refresher station.   
Dimly set glowbulbs hovered in each corner, outbrightened by the light from the   
viewport. The furnishings were all uniform gray or black. The bed rested in a low   
alcove, perpendicular to the window. I set my bag on the dresser and sat on the   
edge of the bed.   
" I said, clutching the sideboard and taking in my surroundings.   
Kasidy leaned against the wall and folded her arms, casting her eyes   
about as if inspecting the room. "This is your place. You can do whatever you like   
with it." She tossed her hair over her shoulder. I'm just a few doors down, in   
51513. I spend a lot of time in there, or in the lounge if you need me for   
anything." She looked at me and straightened. "Come on, there's more to see.   
Leave your bag here."   
  
  
Before breakfast, Kasidy showed me the lounge and the bridge, and   
introduced me to Graim Starrunner, native to Tatooine and the captain of the   
Chu'unthor. I had never heard of Tatooine, but "Captain Graim," as he liked to be   
called, was nice enough. He was tall, dark, in his mid-forties, and carried a   
distinguished air about him that suggested military. When he shook my hand, his   
grip was strong and confident.   
After that, Kasidy showed me to the mess hall for breakfast. Other   
students began filing in to join the people already there. I had never seen so   
many alien species in one place. I was familiar with the handful of Chadra-Fan,   
some of whom looked as lost as I felt. But there we countless others whose   
names I couldn't place or begin to imagine where they came from.   
Kasidy took my arm. "Come on," she said. "I'll introduce you to some of   
the other students."   
We lined up for our food, behind a red twi'lek woman who smiled as we   
approached. Her face was sharp, angled and beautiful, especially with her large   
black eyes contrasting her crimson skin. "Hey, Kass," she said, then glanced at   
me. "New student?"   
Kasidy nodded. "This is Callista Nogati, from Chad Three. Callista, I'd like   
you to meet Zara Guyenn."   
Zara nodded, then pushed back the long sleeves of her robe. "Nice to   
meet you," she said, and frowned. "You seem a little old to be beginning training.   
Have you had any other instruction?"   
I shook my head. "No, I'm just starting."   
Zara shrugged. "Well, you seem smart. I bet you'll catch up quickly." She   
flashed a brilliantly white smile. "Let's all sit together at breakfast. I want to learn   
all about you, Callista."   
  
  
Kasidy dropped me off at my first ever Jedi class. It was a little strange,   
because even though I couldn't hope to guess the ages of the alien students, I   
felt like the oldest person there. The human students were all under ten years   
old.   
But halfway through the class, a teenage boy about my age stumbled in,   
and everyone turned and looked at him, including Master Altis. The boy stood   
motionless for a moment, looking back at all the faces that stared at him. Then   
his face cracked in a grin and he shrugged. "What?" and he flopped into the chair   
beside me.   
The students all returned their attention to Master Altis, who continued his   
lecture, seemingly unconcerned with having been interrupted.   
The boy leaned over to me. "So, do you think I was too conspicuous?"   
I glanced at him briefly. "Oh, um...no. Not at all."   
He laughed quietly. "I'm Ilios. You're new, aren't you?"   
I nodded. "Callista. This is my first day." Turning my head, I got my first   
good look at the newcomer, Ilios. He was blond with green eyes that flashed with   
electric vibrancy. He smiled a row of straight white teeth.   
"Welcome to the Chu'unthor, then." He said.   
I smiled. "Thanks."   
We sat in silence and listened to the lesson for a good hour. I was   
surprised that the younger kids sat still, but they did, listening quietly as Master   
Altis spoke about "the basics:" The living Force versus the unifying Force. I   
wasn't aware of different parts of the Force; I'd thought it had been one big   
power, one-dimensional. I was very naive, then, to think that anything about the   
Force was that simple.   
Ilios walked with me to the next class, which we shared. I learned more   
about him, then. Ilios Larptiwa was 18, and native to Alderaan. He had been here   
a month, so he was just past my level.   
As we talked, somebody plowed into us from behind, knocking Ilios to the   
ground. "Hey!" Ilios grunted. I grabbed his arm to help him up, but he waved me   
away. "Watch where you're going, Cerante!"   
The kid turned and offered a snide smirk. "Right of way, street rat. You   
were right in my way." Then he turned and kept walking.   
"Who was that?" I asked.   
Ilios shook his head. "Cerante Getufsko. He comes from the upper crust of   
Alderaan society. I don't. He hates me for it."   
"That doesn't make any sense." I said as we resumed walking.   
"Don't worry about it. It's my problem." He said, waving a dismissive hand. 


	4. Like a Moth to a Flame

Mergirl: Callista's Story  
  
By Ambassador Cara Jade  
  
Part 4: Like a Moth to a Flame  
  
  
Over the next few months, my life became a continual regime of class after class, but I didn't mind. I loved my new lifestyle--the life of a Jedi. I became friends with many of the Jedi trainees onboard, especially Kasidy, Ilios, and Soonta. This worked out well, because Soonta had taken Ilios under his wing the way Kasidy had for me. We spent most of our little free time together, and got to know each other very well. I learned a great deal in my first month, more than enough to clear any doubt in my mind that I was meant to be a Jedi.   
But, still, I missed my family. I had tried repeatedly to call home, but no one ever picked up, and I wasn't surprised. We had an identification system on our communicator, and all Papa had to do was not pick up. I couldn't get a hold of Josef, either, probably because he was always with Papa. I thought I missed him more than anyone else.   
I'd been on the Chu'unthor for a little more than a month when I received a message cylinder. It had been sitting on my bed all day, I had to assume, because I hadn't been in my quarters since early morning. It was unmarked, but every cell in my being said...   
I assembled the cylinder with trembling fingers.   
"Hey, Callista," My little brother's image said with a smile and a glance over his shoulder. "Sorry it took me so long to get a hold of you. Dad's still brooding about you leaving. It's been really quiet with you gone. Very weird.   
"I hope you're doing well at your school. What kind of stuff are you learning. Like, I understand what the Jedi are and what you do, but how do you--"   
"Josef!" My father's voice, gruffer than usual.   
"Blast, it's Dad. I got to go. I'll add more to this later."   
The recording blinked off for a few seconds, than he came back on. "Okay. I can talk now. Dad and Anela have gone to the mainland for the day. I just wanted to tell you one more thing: I'm not going to join the Republic Navy. I'm talking to a guy who might let me be a mate on his freighter. A pilot! It's perfect! It's what I always dreamed of." He paused, and even through the scratchy, poor picture quality, I could see the elation on his face that even thinking about his new opportunity gave him. "Well," he finished. "I guess that's it. Get back to me, Callie. Oh, and Uncle Claine says hi." He smiled again and hung up.   
I shut off the recording and wiped my eyes. I didn't realize how much I'd really missed him until that moment. I got a sinking feeling in my stomach, for the first time really homesick.   
"I miss you so much, Josef." I said, even though he couldn't hear me. I got up and walked to the observatory down the hall, with the message cylinder held tightly in my hand. It was usually quiet by this time of night, anyway.   
But it wasn't tonight.   
Kasidy sat alone in a chair by the viewport, with her feet propped on another. She stared out the viewport without paying attention to anything else.   
"Hey," I said to get her attention. She turned and saw me, and smiled.   
"Hi, Callista." she said, and patted the chair beside her. "Have a seat."   
I sat down next to her and looked out the viewport. We were orbiting a dark planet shot through with golden light, like a bubble of magma whose shell was crusted and cracking, revealing the molten liquid beneath. "Where are we?" I asked, awed by the rare beauty of the planet.   
Kasidy smiled. "You'd never been off your homeworld before you came here, did you?"   
I laughed. "Is it that obvious?"   
"This is Coruscant, that capitol of the Republic. The Masters report yearly to the Jedi Council here."   
"Oh." I said. "So, why are you up so late?"   
"Every year, the Masters report the progress of their padawans, and the Council will decide whether or not to elevate the padawans to Jedi Knights. Master Altis is down there right now, petitioning for me to become a Jedi Knight. If they approve, he'll send for me to come and take my trial. If I pass that, I will be a Jedi."   
"Are you nervous?"   
She laughed. "Beyond words!" She chuckled harder, and I joined her. "No, I've been on the Chu'unthor since I was six. I'm ready to be able to go home and show my family what I've become. I haven't seen them for a couple years, now." Her eyes took on a faraway, nostalgic gaze.   
I nodded. Soonta had told me earlier that the Masters insisted that their students have little contact with their families, so they could focus on their training without so much distraction. "Do you have brothers and sisters?"   
Kasidy nodded. "One brother, a year younger than me. No sisters, though." She looked at me. "What about you, Callie? What did you leave behind to pursue the life of the Jedi?"   
I sighed, and looked out the viewport briefly before answering. "Well, what my family is like and what I left behind are two different things. My mother died when I was seven years old, and both my sisters moved out a few years later. I haven't seen them since." I held up my brother's message cylinder. "I have a brother, two years younger than me." I laughed. "He wants to be a pilot. Man, I miss him." I turned the cylinder in my hands.   
"What about your father?"   
I bit my lip. "I...don't have that quite figured out yet. My father was my best friend when I was little, but my mother's death put a rift between us. He isn't exactly happy with the path I've chosen."   
Kasidy nodded. "I can't imagine how that feels, to have to go against your family. Both my parents are Jedi." She looked at me gently. "It must have been hard."   
"Oh, it was...it was. But this is my destiny, Kasidy. I know it."   
Kasidy looked out the viewport. "The month that you've been here is hardly a scratch on the surface of what you'll learn in your training, Callista. Perhaps someday you'll learn why these things have happened."   
  
  
"Fire is one of the most Force-full elements. And a paradox in itself: as if gives and preserves life, so can it burn and take it away. It's power can be used for evil as well as good." As Master Crios spoke, a pillar of fire exploded from the floor in front of him with a rush of wind and heat. A collective gasp rippled through the students, and beside me, Ilios laughed.   
"Whoa! Now there's a power I can use!" He leaned closer to me. "Use it on Cerante, you know?"   
I looked at him with a tolerant smile. "Don't be stupid, Ilios."   
Ilios smiled. "Nah, I'd never do it. You know that, Callie."   
"Yeah, I know."   
"As an exercise, I want you all to practice bringing fire from the air. Visualize it in your mind, then make the vision...reality." The students went to work, and Master Crios sauntered among us, offering help.   
"Make the vision reality," I repeated, bringing my mind to a focus that was becoming more natural as the months passed. Mastering the elements was a Jedi's first lesson after they actually learned how to feel the Force. I was having a little trouble with fire and earth, and Master Crios had said that was probably because I had so little experience with them. Controlling air and water, especially, were simple. "Easier said than done," I muttered.   
At that moment, Ilios closed his eyes, and a pillar of fire burst into existence. I jumped back to avoid the intense heat that accompanied it. "Showoff." I said as Ilios began moving the fire with his mind, twisting it in knots and making it dance. He opened his eyes and smiled at his own prowess, then he glanced at me.   
"Hey, watch this." The flames twisted and warped, and formed a face. My face.   
I gasped and laughed. "You're good," I said, wiping my features from the surface of the flame with my own power. I had an easier time of controlling fire that already existed, rather than creating it myself. I lifted the fire off the table into the air, rolling it into a ball. The Force flowed through me, into the very tips of my fingers, and the flames followed their guidance. I turned them in spirals, braids, figure eights. I looked at Ilios with a mischievous smile, before throwing the fire at him. Out of reflex, he raised his hands and deflected it. It careened loudly over the heads of a dozen students--   
--and headed right for Cerante. "What the--" he yelped, and raised his hands to shield himself. Had Master Crios not used his own power to bat the fireball to the floor, Cerante would have had cooked sausages for fingers.   
"What are you thinking, street rat?" Cerante yelled. "You could have killed me!" The other students were silent now, watching the quarrel with interest.   
"Cerante, I swear, man, I didn't intend to--"   
"You wouldn't care if you didn't have to deal with me anymore, would you?" Cerante challenged.   
"Cerante," I started. "Leave him alone, this was my fault..."   
"Shut up, Callista, you're no better than he is!"   
"Cerante!" Master Crios said. "All of you! That's enough of this foolishness. Anger is the path to the dark side, my students. Do not forget that."   
Ignoring Crios, Cerante pointed an accusing finger at Ilios. "We're not finished yet. You're gonna get some. I guarantee it. Both of you!"  
"Cerante!" Crios said again, firmer, though he didn't raise his voice. Cerante finally looked at him, his brown eyes glinting with annoyance. "Master, you must do something about them!"   
Crios returned Ilios' stare. He was the Master here, and not about to let Cerante forget it. "And what would you have me do, Cerante? Kick them out, send them back to their homeworlds?" Before Cerante could answer, Crios continued. "What happened just now was an accident, nothing more. It does not warrant your outburst." He turned to Ilios and me. "And as for you two, you are not experienced enough to be playing games with elements over which your control is novice. He looked poignantly at me. "Is that understood?"   
"Yes, Master," Ilios and I muttered, lowering our head in respect.   
"Cerante, do you understand?"   
"Yes, Master," he said penitently.   
Master Crios continued in his exercise for another half hour, without incident. However, I stole glances at Cerante every few minutes, and every time, he glared at Ilios, and anger and hatred saturated the Force.   
  
Kasidy was made a Jedi Knight. Master Altis returned to the Chu'unthor with the news a few days later. When he told her, she jumped up and down, laughing, and threw her arms around Master Altis. Or so she said. I was happy for her; she'd dedicated her life to this dream, and now it was hers.   
Djinn and the other masters held a commencement ceremony one week later. One hundred padawans became one hundred Jedi Knights that evening. They ignited their light sabers, one by one, creating an arrayed rainbow of power and light. The entire time, I never took my eyes off Kasidy. She stood, half-bowed over her emerald blade, eyes closed. Her presence radiated happiness and satisfaction. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to stand there one day myself.   
Of course, the ceremony was a catalyst that flooded the students with one question that had already trickled into many minds: who would be the next padawans? Ilios and I speculated that Master Altis would choose Soonta Le'yn, but we wouldn't find out for a week, because the Masters took that time to meditate in the Force about the difficult decision they all had to make.   
And with the Masters occupied, we students were given the week to ourselves, to pass time as we pleased. Ilios took it upon himself to teach me hand-to-hand combat. He'd used street fighting to defend himself on Alderaan, and he said it helped with conventional fighting techniques to know, "a few low blows," as he called them. Ilios and I stood poised in fighting stances, breathing evenly and opening to the Force. I waited, watched for a single twitch of musculature to tell me what he planned to do. His toes curled, as if to gain a better purchase on the smooth mat we stood on, and I thought, kick.   
At that moment, he launched into action and came at me quickly. As I suspected, he kicked first, high and easy to block. I leaned back far to avoid his foot and dropped to the floor, thinking that if I could catch him before he brought his foot down, I'd take the advantage. I swept my legs in a wide arc, hoping to knock his feet out from under him.   
Ilios jumped and evaded me. I leapt to my feet and back up as he advanced. "Make your move!" he prompted as he barreled at me like an unstoppable meteor.   
I nodded and swung a punch. He blocked it, and the second, and as his hands were busy with mine, I planted my bare foot on his chest and pushed him away, adding strength through the Force.   
I put enough of the Force behind it sufficient to lift him off the ground. Before he hit the wall, he stretched his hands out before and above his head, and stopped himself, so he hung in midair. But he didn't lower himself back to the ground. Instead, he kept himself levitated, but came towards me.   
"Better get up here, Callie!" He called down to me.   
"I don't--I don't know how!"   
"Come on, you do! I saw you levitating in Master Acheron's class. Come on!"   
I sighed, and hesitantly focused on my own body, my own weight. I really knew what I was doing, but I wasn't very good at it, yet. Nevertheless, I lifted myself shakily off the ground, and Ilios met me. "Call this a high-intensity practice session." He said. "We'll slow things down a bit. Remember master Lien's lesson in fighting? she numbered every move, and you can make thousands of combinations."   
I nodded. "I remember." I smiled, a little embarrassed. "I'm not too good with that, either."   
Ilios smiled. "I know, but judging from how we were fighting just now, you could be very good at it."   
"And you're going to teach me?" I said, arching an eyebrow.   
He nodded. "Yes, yes I am." He floated back. "Number three!" he said, and I obeyed. There was a single step advance and a punch. He put an arm up and absorbed it. "Good." he encouraged. "Again!"   
Punch.   
"Four!"   
Kick.   
"Two!"   
Dodge.   
We kept fighting, moving in midair with increasingly blinding speed. After a few minutes, I realized that Ilios wasn't calling numbers anymore.   
At that moment, Kasidy walked in. "Hey, guys!" She called up to us. "The Masters have chosen their padawans. They want us all to meet in the third audience hall so they can announce them."   
"Do you know where you're going, Kass?" I asked as we trudged down the corridor from the practice hall to the audience room. Now that she was a Jedi, she was free to leave the Chu'unthor and travel the galaxy, following orders from the Senate and settling disputes.   
Kasidy shrugged. Zara and I are going to the capitol, at least for now. We leave first thing in the morning."   
"Where are you stay?" Ilios asked.   
"Master Altis arranged for us to stay at the Jedi Temple."   
"Tell me you'll keep in touch," I said. "Tell me all about Coruscant."   
Kasidy laughed. "Of course I will, Callista. But only--" she pointed a finger at me. "--if you promise to join me when you become a Jedi yourself. We can travel the galaxy together...they'll never stop us."   
  
"So that's your lightsaber, then?" Ilios said, pointing to the dull silver cylinder swinging at Kasidy's belt beneath her long cloak. Her fingers fell over it, stroking the work of art they had fashioned.   
"Yep." She said, smiling proudly.   
"Can-can I just hold it for a second?" Ilios stretched out his hand, his finger expectantly bent to receive the silvery weapon. Kasidy chuckled and unhooked the weapon from her belt. She handed the weapon to Ilios, and his fingers closed around the smooth hilt. He inspected it with awe. "What're these little creatures around the rim?"   
"They're called Nunas. On Naboo, we kept them as pets. My family bred them."   
"You're from Naboo? I would have thought Coruscant."   
"No, born and bred Nubian. I could have been one of the Queen's handmaidens, but Master Altis took me as his padawan, and I chose to finish my training instead."   
"Wow," Ilios breathed. I remained quiet throughout this exchange, since I really had no idea what the were talking about. We reached the Reception Hall and sat down near the front. On the raised dais, the one-hundred masters of the Chu'unthor sat in four rows, still and with their hands folded.   
"The students they'll choose as their padawans don't know they've been chosen yet. The only person who knows is the Master, and every Master knows only who he or she chose." Kasidy explained to us.   
"Then it's a surprise to everyone," I said, and Kasidy nodded.   
"It's usually a student who's been here for a few years."   
More students filed in, and a low hum of mingled conversations filled the air. After a half and hour, Master Altis stood and raised his arms. Almost immediately, the room was quiet.   
"Greetings, my friends and students. As you know, we have commended our one-hundred padawans to Jedi Knights. The time has come to replace them, if only in name. We know their influence will never leave us. These new padawans represent some of the Chu'unthor's best, students who have been here many years, excelled in their studies and exercised. As head Jedi Master, I will be the first to announce my choice." He paused for a moment, casting his eyes over the crowd. "I am honored to take Cerante Getufsko as my padawan learner."   
"What?!" Ilios nearly choked on his words. A few of the students turned and looked at him as Cerante stood to a round of applause. Ilios had half-risen out of his seat, so he sat down, muttering, " Great. As if wasn't hard enough to live with him."   
The three of us watched as Cerante took his seat, looking as smug and snide as I'd ever seen him. He looked over and saw us staring, and gave us a disgustingly holier-than-thou smirk.   
I rolled my eyes and turned away. "I bet you're right."   
Kasidy nodded. "I think I have to be glad to be leaving tomorrow." she said. "But it won't be as bad as you think. He'll spend most of his time with Master Altis; you'll probably hardly see him."   
We both looked at her incredulously, and she shrugged. "Just a different point of view." 


	5. The Black Sky Opened Up

Mergirl: Callista's Story  
  
By Ambassador Cara Jade  
  
Part 5: The Black Sky Opened Up  
  
  
  
  
I wasn't able to go with Kasidy to the docking bay. She and Zara Guyenn were due to leave very early, but before they did, as I was getting ready for the day's first classes, Kasidy stopped by my apartment.   
"I wanted to come by and say an official good-bye," she said. Her duffel was slung over her shoulder easily. She looked at it and smiled. "Amazing, isn't it?" She said. "Ten years and all my possessions fit in one bag." She looked back at me. "If I were to put what I'd learned in this bag, it would split at the seams."   
I smiled. "You'll be a great Jedi, Kass," I said as I hugged her. "I wish I could come."   
"Hey," she said with a reassuring smile. "I'll see you again soon enough." Well, I have to hurry. The shuttle is leaving in ten minutes. I'll send you a message when we get to Coruscant."   
I nodded as she moved away from the door and back into the hall. "Hey, Kass." I called after her. She turned around.   
I bit my lip. "Thank you...for being my friend."   
Kasidy smiled. "May the Force be with you, Callista, until we meet again."   
  
  
Ilios wasn't in class that morning. Although he continued with his lesson, Master Altis seemed every bit as surprised as I was, since he almost never missed class, and when he did, he always told me. Today, for some reason, he hadn't, and I wondered why.   
My answer came about halfway through the class, when one of the healing masters, an Ithorian named Telakt Ladek, came to the door. "Master Altis?"   
Djinn looked at the healer. "Yes, Telakt, what is it?"   
Master Ladek looked at all the students, who stared at him inquisitively. He strode purposefully to the front to talk Master Altis. They leaned close together, like co-conspirators in a grand scheme. Although the aged alien whispered, his synthesizer-like voice made it easy for us all to hear some of it.   
"...the Larptiwa..badly...med center."   
The news hit me with a bright white shock, and I was visibly shaken. My friend Jana put a hand on my shoulder. "Are you okay?"   
I stared straight ahead, where Ladek and Master Altis continued to speak, but I was deafened by worry...all I could see was the moving of their mouths. Ilios had been hurt, left alone...I knew immediately that Cerante had had something to do with it.   
Master Altis glanced at me briefly. The intensity in his eyes told me that Ilios' injuries were serious.   
"Callista?" Jana said again. "Callista?"   
"Callista." Master Altis' calm voice broke through my funk, and I snapped back to reality with a jolt.   
"Huh?"   
Both Master Altis and Master Ladek were looking at me. "It appears that we may need your assistance." The old Ithorian said. "Will you come with us?"   
I looked at Jana, and had the sudden, excruciating feeling that everyone was watching me. Slowly, I stood up and walked shakily to my master's side. "Ilios has been seriously injured, somehow." Master Altis told me. "And he's asking to see you."   
Master Ladek escorted Master Altis and me through the sterile whiteness of the Medical Wing. There weren't many patients; most of the people here now were students or healers. Master Ladek gave us details as we walked: "A pair of students found him this afternoon in the training hall. He was unconscious, and very severely beaten. They called the healers right away. We did our best, but he still has some fractured bones that will take us longer to heal. He regained consciousness about thirty minutes ago. This is his room." He opened the door for us. Beyond, the room was dark, with only one bedside lamp that encircled Ilios in a cloud of light.   
Ilios lay on the table underneath a thin blanket, his arms and legs straight, bandaged in places. It was hard to see his face for all the gauze wrapped around it. Master Altis guided me to a chair beside his bed, and I saw his face in gruesome detail--both eyes were blackened and swollen, almost shut. His lips we split down the middle. Burns, bruises and cuts covered his cheeks and forehead.   
"Talk to him, Callista." Master Ladek said. "He'll only speak to you."   
I took Ilios' hand and gingerly touched the only perfect patch on his cheek. He stirred, whimpered. His broken limbs stretched and he cried again. My heart ached for him, in so much pain. I'd never seen him cry before, and now the tears ran freely, unabashed. "Ilios," I said quietly. "Ilios, it's me."   
His eyes squinted slightly open, and he sighed. "Callista," he said, weakly squeezing my hand with shattered fingers. The round muscles in his arm flexed, as if it took all his strength to complete such a simple gesture of affection.   
"How do you feel?" I asked, but knowing he would have felt better if a wystoh had bit him in half.   
"That's about right," he said, and I smiled in spite of myself.   
"Who did this to you?" I pressed, leaning forward. "Master Altis and Master Ladek want to know, so whoever did this can be punished."   
Ilios breathed several times. He shook his head, having a sudden difficulty breathing. "You know..." He managed weakly, then closed his eyes.   
"Let him rest now," Ladek said.   
"May I stay, Master?" I asked softly.   
Master Altis rested a hand on my shoulder. "If you wish," he said. "Did he tell you who attacked him?"   
I nodded. "Yes. Cerante Getufsko. Your padawan."   
  
  
Cerante, of course, denied having anything to do with Ilios' injuries. But Master Altis could tell just as easily as I could that he was lying through his teeth, so Cerante was confined to his quarters.   
Ilios recovered quickly, considering the injuries he'd suffered. Cerante had broken both his wrists, shattered one kneecap and cracked an ankle, in addition to all his burns and facial lacerations. Those closed up quickly, under the influence of the Force. The healers repaired his breaks to the best of their ability, but Ilios still limped, and I had to help him around.   
Although he healed physically, his heart, scathed only by anger and hate, remained an open, bleeding wound.   
"He came out of nowhere, Callie!" Ilios told me as he leaned on me in the mess hall. He stumbled in his step, and I put my hand on his chest to steady him.   
"Slow down. You're getting ahead of yourself." I said gently.   
Ilios ignored me. "I was in the combat practice room--you know, the one where you and I always practice--"   
"I know," I nodded.   
"--and he was...just there, all of a sudden. He challenged me, didn't even give me a chance to respond. He just attacked!"   
"Did he say anything to you? Master Altis was wondering." We found two empty seats and I helped him sit.   
Ilios nodded. "He's such a bastard."   
"Tell me what he said," I pressed.   
Ilios looked away. "It--it was about you."   
I frowned. "Me?"   
Ilios nodded. "He wanted to--to kill me because than he could..could--" He gestured at me in such a way that the full weight of Cerante's intentions hit me like a block of durasteel.   
"I didn't even think of fighting him until he said that."   
I leaned forward and took Ilios' hand gently. "Ilios," I said. "Don't give in to the dark side because of me. Attacking to protect another is still attacking. And anyway," I fixed him with my gaze to make sure he understood. "I don't need you to protect me. I'm grateful, but there's always ways of doing things without getting yourself killed."   
"Callista," he said, using my full name like he always did when he was gravely serious. "You're my friend. I don't want anyone hurting you, least of all Cerante."   
"But it doesn't give you any reason to act in anger. Show you're above him by not going to his level."   
Ilios sighed and ran his fingers through his hair. "Callie...I want to kill him."   
  
  
Cerante was released from his quarters a week later. I was on edge, afraid of what Ilios might do. Fortunately, he seemed completely calm and at peace.   
Then, one night I would never forget if I tried, as I was drifting into sleep, someone knocked on my door. I groaned, ignored it until it came again.   
"Callie?" It was Ilios. "Callie!"   
I sat up. "Ilios? What is it?"   
A pause. "Can I come in?"   
I climbed out of bed and threw a blanket over my shoulders, sealing out the room's chilliness. When I opened the door, I saw Ilios, leaning on the wall. "What is it?" I asked, pulling my blanket closer. "Why aren't you sleeping?"   
Ilios waved a hand. "Cerante...has challenged me to a duel."   
I moved forward and grabbed his arm. He grunted with pain. "Sorry," I said quietly, withdrawing my hand. "Ilios, you can't do it. You're still recovering. You're half--"   
"--I've already accepted."   
I sighed, and shoot my hair back. "Ilios..." I said with a groan. "Did anything I said to you get into your head? He can kill you, especially when the job's already half-done anyway! Don't do this!"   
"I have to," he said. "Come with me." He added, with a sudden pleading in his voice.   
I shook my head and stepped back. "No. I won't be a part of this." I stuck my finger in his face. "You do this and you go against everything we've learned in the last six months. This is the dark side, Ilios, and you know it!" I lowered my hand, as well as my voice. "You know it."   
"Callie, please, just in case--"   
"--just in case what? Something happens?"   
With a sigh, Ilios nodded.   
I rolled my eyes, exasperated. "Damn it, Ilios..."   
He smiled. "So you're coming?"   
I glared at him. "Well, what else could I do?"   
  
We met Cerante in the training hall. He'd brought some friends with him. "Blast it," Ilios muttered under his breath. "A Shistavanean. He'll tear my arms off if I try anything."   
"No, he looks smarter than Cerante." I returned, in a halfhearted attempt to calm him and myself.   
"Welcome, my friends!" Cerante called to us, spreading his arms wide. "Ilios, I'm so glad you brought your little nursemaid along. Tell me--" He tapped his lips thoughtfully. "Just how does she make you feel better?" His companions--a human woman named Chilindra Crane and a black skinned Sakiyan I knew as Ghuna Dj'ark in addition to the Shistavanean--laughed derisively, and Ilios lunged at Cerante, but I grabbed his arm to restrain him.   
"Don't, Ilios--"   
Ilios didn't look at me. His eyes burned into Cerante's laughing face. "I'm bound. I've already accepted."   
"Take it back!"   
"Yes, Ilios! Take it back and go, with your little tail between your legs!" Cerante laughed even harder.   
I gripped his arm tighter. "Ilios, he'll kill you. I can tell you that. I sense great danger--" I added lower, "for all of us."   
Cerante stamped a foot, like an impatient child waiting for a new toy. "I'm waiting!"   
Ilios finally looked at me, at Cerante, then at me again. "I have to do this." He pulled his arm free, and walked to the weapons rack. Ilios didn't have his own lightsaber yet, so he had to use one of the training models. He drew the hilt of one and took his place before Ilios in the practice circle. Blades ignited and crossed, and I watched apprehensively as they pressed each other, closer and closer to the breaking point.   
Ilios struck first. He swung the blue blade at Cerante's head, and one of Master Altis' proverbs came to my mind: He who strikes first is in the wrong   
Is that really so, Master?   
Their duel continued at a spectacular speed, the flashes of light on light impact blinding. Even with little experience and broken bones, Ilios was very good. He matched Cerante strike for strike, parry for blow. Cerante's friends whooped and cheered him on, but all I could do was watch in dismay and horror. I couldn't even make out a "Come on, Ilios!"   
Ilios stumbled, and Cerante took advantage of it to press his attack. Anger rose in me and my entire body seemed to fill with fire. My fingers itched.   
Ilios was back up, swinging his lightsaber, back and forth. Cerante dropped to his knees and brought his lightsaber up, which Ilios avoided by performing a flip that carried him two meters back.   
But he missed his landing.   
He stumbled, doubled over. Cerante was over him, raising his lightsaber over his head.   
"Ilios!" I screamed.   
Cerante brought his weapon down at the base of Ilios' skull.   
"NO!" I stretched my arm out to him, as if I could catch his severed head and replace it on his shoulders. Take me by surprise, bolts of lightning erupted from my own fingers, striking--   
Cerante, full in the chest.   
Blue fire arced over his skin. He screamed and fell to the floor, then made no other sound or movement.   
Chilindra and Ghuna grabbed my arms and hauled me back as I screamed and struggled and cried. "You bastard!" I screamed at Cerante's limp form. "You bastard! I'll kill you! I swear on the Force, you're dead!"   
The Shistavanean knelt beside Cerante, leaning closer and sniffing. He sat up slowly...solemn. "No, you won't." He growled. "You already did."   
Ice froze in my stomach. No...   
Chilindra and Ghuna released my arms and I crawled to Ilios' side, whimpering and crying in shock. The stump of his neck smoked and sizzled, cauterized by the heat of Cerante's weapon. I sat beside him, staring at my hands.   
I couldn't believe it...my mind was whirling from the momentum of a thousand thoughts and revelations. Ilios is dead...I've killed Cerante....Ilios was murdered...I have murdered Cerante...Ilios is in two pieces, one large, one small...he's dead, gone forever and you killed him...no, you killed Cerante...Cerante killed Ilios...Cerante deserved to die...Ilios deserved...Cerante killed you...Ilios killed us all...   
"Get Master Altis!" Ghuna called, and in my head, his voice echoed and slowed, far away. Dizziness washed over me. I felt like I was falling very, very fast. Darkness engulfed the corners of my vision, swallowing all I knew with a voracious appetite and I could only watch as it all went away. I crumpled over Ilios' dead body.   
Blackness.   
  
  
I was in a tunnel, staring into an abyss if oscillating black and white light. It was mesmerizing, all the light and darkness sucked inexorably to one focal point, too far away to see. I stared at it in awe, and felt my body moving closer and closer to it.   
"Callista," a resonating voice echoed in the air. "Callista, turn away. Don't look at it, Callista. That is the dark side."   
I can't...I can't take my eyes off it.   
Callista, you have to. Look away Callista, before it takes you! Listen to my voice, follow it."   
My hair blew around my face, whipping in my eyes and mouth. With all my strength--more than what I had, really--I averted my eyes to the side and stood, gasping.   
I sat up conscious and aware. I was in my bed, in my quarters, bathed in sweat. Trembling, I took in my surroundings. Soonta sat beside my bed, leaning forward with his hands clasped together between his knees. He was surrounded by a halo of light afforded by the lamp that was the only illumination in the room. He stared at me fervently with his eerie eyes, sitting up a little bit when I woke up.   
I looked at him, trying to catch my breath. "Was that you?"   
He nodded. "You almost crossed over. You were in great danger."   
"That's enough for now, Soonta." Another voice said--Master Altis. "Leave us. I wish to speak to Callista alone."   
Soonta stood up and left the room, leaving me alone with Master Altis. He took Soonta's chair and looked at me. The skin around his eyes was creased with more than the usual amount of lines, and his eyes themselves were tired, but still maintained their usual sharpness, in some amazing paradox.   
"Master," I said, my throat cracking. "Did I really kill Cerante?"   
Master Altis sighed. "He's dead, if that's what you mean. Two days ago. As for whether or not you killed him, I have yet to learn."   
"If he's dead, then I did kill him, but Master, you must understand I did not mean to!"   
He sat forward a little. "Callista, tell me in your own words what happened two nights ago."   
I looked down at the blankets over my legs and sighed. "Well, um...about three in the morning, Ilios came to my apartment. He--he said...that Cerante had challenged him to...a duel. He wanted me to come with him. And I did, reluctantly. I tried to warn him of the dark side, but he...he wouldn't listen." I was trying my best to keep my voice even, but I kept choking on the words, failing to hold back tears that sleep had stayed. I sniffed. "Anyway, Ilios and Cerante fought. Ilios tripped and Cerant--" I couldn't breath. I'd forgotten to hold back emotion, and it was evident, running down my cheeks. "--Cerante killed him."   
Master Altis put a hand on my shoulder. "And then, you--"   
"I didn't mean to kill him, Master. Really. I didn't even expect it to happen. Any of it!" I moved closer to the edge of the bed, throwing the blankets away from my legs. I looked at my hands, which still itched with the lightning power that had killed my best friend's murderer. "It just...happened."   
"Callista," Master Altis said gently. "Some of the Masters, myself included, are wondering where you learned the power you used."   
"I never learned it. Like I said, I had no idea that it would happen. I--I--I can only call it a reflex. I didn't think about it at all."   
Master Altis' brow furrowed. "Were you even thinking of using the Force to help Ilios?"   
I shook my head. "I wanted to help him, but--I don't remember...it all happened so fast. Ilios..." My voice quavered, and I forced myself to swallow my tears.   
Master Altis nodded. "It's okay. You're all right, Callista. I don't think anyone can accuse you of intentionally killing him."   
I looked up at my Master. "What are people saying about it?"   
Master Altis shook his head. "Don't worry about what the other students are saying." He helped my to stand up. "There. You're all right."   
"Master?"   
"Yes, Callista."   
"What I saw when I was waking up--what was that?"   
"When we found you all, you were unconscious. The dark side was thinly present in the room. It was...radiating from you. That is what you saw."   
"Why would it radiate from me?"   
He hesitated. "We don't know yet." He helped my walk across the room. "Now you must come with me. I know you're still very shaken and would rather not, but there are some people here who want to see you."   
Master Altis escorted me to an empty classroom, where two people were waiting for us. As we came through the door, the two adults--a man and a woman--stood up and turned around. I could tell by their dress that they were well off. When the woman saw me, every muscle in her face tightened. Her brown eyes were red-rimmed and framed with new wrinkles.   
Cerante's mother.   
"Lord and Lady Getufsko," Master Altis began. "This is Callista Nogati. I have spoken with her, and I can find no murderous intent in her actions against your son."   
"The hell there wasn't" Lady Getufsko said through gritted teeth. "She killed him. I'd say that about defines murderous, wouldn't you?"   
I couldn't stay silent. "Lord Getufsko, Lady Getufsko," I managed as calmly as possible. Lady Getufsko looked at me with wild, furious eyes, as if she couldn't believe that I, of all people was addressing her. "I--I am so sorry for everything that has happened. I didn't mean to kill Cerante. It was a reflex I didn't even--"   
Lady Getufsko lunged at me, restrained by her weary-looking husband. "I don't want your apologies!" She hissed.   
I looked away from her, ashamed.   
"Rebekah," Lord Getufsko began.   
"Look me in the eyes, you creature!" She sobbed. "Look into the eyes of the woman whose son you took!"   
"I didn't mean to!" I cried. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! What else do you want me to say?" My heart was ripping at the thought that I'd hurt her so much. "I can't give you anything more than I already have!"   
"Then give me your blood! I hope that one day you understand what it feels like to have your own innocent child taken from you--"   
"But he wasn't innocent!" I cut in, bristling. "He killed another student in cold blood!" Tears of anger sprang from my eyes.   
"Callista," Master Altis said, taking my arm. "The dark side."   
But I didn't listen. "He killed Ilios because he didn't have as much money as he did. Ilios was a better person by far!" I spat, anger rising in me. "Your son was a terrible person, especially to me and my friends, because our families weren't rich. Ilios didn't even have a family!"   
Lady Getufsko raised a hand against me, and would have slapped me through the wall if Lord Getufsko hadn't grabbed her wrist. I winced away and Master Altis stepped between Lady Getufsko and me.   
"Stop this, both of you!" It was the first time I'd ever heard Master Altis raise his voice. The silence that followed was only broken by Lady Getufsko's sobbing breaths. I turned around slowly, wiping my eyes and sniffing. I looked at Master Altis; his eyes were wide. "None of this will help you." He said, calmer. "What's done is done." He looked at Cerante's parents. "Lord, Lady Getufsko, Cerante cannot be replaced, but it would be ill of his memory to do something rash. We regret that this is happened, and we will do everything in our power--"   
"Then try this beast as the murderer she is!" Lord Getufsko hissed at me.   
"--to show you how sorry we are, but Callista will not be punished."   
Lord and Lady Getufsko both looked at Master Altis in surprise. "As if she did nothing wrong?" Lord Getufsko said, spitting out the words as if disgusted by their foul taste.   
"I won't listen to this." Lady Getufsko said, disengaging herself from her husband's arms and reaching for her cloak.   
"She could not help what she did. It was an unhappy reflex."   
"Altis, I swear to you, if you refuse to do anything about this," Getufsko said, stabbing a finger into Master Altis' face. "We will go to the proper authorities and we'll shut this place down!" Without another word, they headed for the door.   
  
Cerante's family left that evening, and I, exhausted as if I'd never slept in my entire life, locked myself in my quarters. I curled up on my bed and tried to sleep.   
But I didn't sleep peacefully.   
I dreamed I was home, on Chad. It was the first time in months. I was a little girl again, lying on my bed in our little beach house. Jeebie laid on my stomach, his fur purple in the darkness. I stroked his ears, listening to the creaks and groans as the walls released the heat of the day. Very faintly, I could hear voices in the next room, those of Mama and Papa. I sat up, didn't hear Jeebie complaining about being displaced.   
"She's a little girl, Kara. She doesn't know--"   
"Of course she knows! By the time you're seven, you tend to love your mother. But...no, no. Brigam, she hates me!"   
Their voices faded, replaced by others:   
"Come here, Callie. Come over here."   
"Four children with no mother, and it's all your fault!:   
My breath came harder, and my chest tightened. Pressed against the door, I could hear more voices, mingling together. Hesitantly, I opened the door, and the voices grew louder. Stepping into the hall, I couldn't see anyone else in the house.   
But something was wrong. And I knew what it was. The voices escalated, crescendoed to a deafening level, drowning everything out except for the throbbing of blood in my veins.   
Then, my own voice rose from beneath them all, displaced far from my lips and falling over itself as it became clearer: "Mama...Mama...Mama..." I turned the corner and froze.   
Even though I knew it would be there, the sight of the blue bottle resting innocently on the carpet clutched my heart with uncontrollable fear. Beads of red liquid dripped from its rim. With all the curiosity of a seven-year-old, I knelt and picked it up, examining it. My fingers grew long and thing, aging ten years in the blink of an eye.   
The blood that trickled over my fingers didn't even register in my mind for a heartbeat. When it finally did, it filled me with frenzied horror. Fully grown, I dropped the bottle and stumbled into the fresher, tripping carelessly over Mama's body and thrusting my bloodied hands under the water. I scrubbed furiously, trying desperately to wash the blood from my hands. But...oh, it wouldn't...it wouldn't come off, I couldn't...get the blood off.   
And so I ran. I tripped over Mama's body again, fell to my hands and knees. Sobbing, I stumbled out the door, and sprinted away into the darkness.   
The driving rain mixed with my tears, hid them as they poured down my face, released after years of suppression. I ran, and I ran, exempt of fatigue in the world of dreams. Trees passed by in irrythmic patterns, as unheeded as the conventions of religion and love.   
There was a cemetery, high on the hills above the beach, surrounded by forests. Josef and I would play there, pretend to be the people whose names had been forgotten. Salt and freshwater stained my lips as Mama's marker appeared before me. Papa had made it, a memorial in remembrance of her, my mother, buried now beneath the water, far from me.   
I fell to my knees as if praying, and buried my face in my hands, weeping and sobbing uncontrollably. When I looked up at the marker, it was gone--the entire scene had changed.   
I was on the cliff.   
The cliff.   
Where we'd buried my mother at sea. Crawling to the edge, my breath staggered as I gazed down at the dark water, far below. Its iciness reached me even far above it. For some reason, I expected her to be down there. When she wasn't, it filled me with realization.   
My mother was gone, gone forever.   
I screamed and scrambled back as I'd done when Mama had breathed her last onto my skin. The memory of that tiny breeze came back like an icy slap.   
With all my might I cursed--cursed the Force for robbing me of my mother, my father, my best friend...and felt so alone and afraid that I could smell it. The ground rumbled and gave way, plunging me into the darkness of the earth as it enfolded me. I was instantly void of emotion as tiny insects marched across my back, just another obstacle in their path.   
The mud, the insects, the leaves...disappeared, faded like breath on glass, but I still fell, towards the water, closer...closer...   
The water was cold, frozen and stabbing as I broke the surface. The shock of it made me gasp, but I swallowed no water.   
She was down here, some place. If I could find her, everything would be okay. Mama would be okay. Papa, Maya and Arkna would love me again.   
So I swam, deeper and deeper into this abyss that struck no fear in my heart.   
She was here...I could find her...   
There, the pristine box, small and lavender, that Papa and Claine had launched into the sea when I was a little girl. It glowed ominously before me, beckoning me.   
Come, Lissy...here I am. Set me free...   
Grasping the lid, I lifted it, pressing against its heaviness.   
She lay inside, perfectly still. Dead. The flesh was gone, burned away, decayed and eaten by time. Eyeless sockets stared skyward, a lipless mouth smiled at its victory. Remnants of black hair floated in tangled skeins, rotten by years. As I stared at her, she neither moved nor spoke. 


	6. Comets Fly Across the Sky

1 Mergirl: Callista's Story  
  
By Ambassador Cara Jade  
  
Part 6: Comets Fly Across the Sky  
  
  
  
In any other location, Ilios would have been cremated, but it was impossible in the confined atmosphere of the Chu'unthor, in space. Instead, they put him into a silvery-blue casket to be jettisoned. Ilios had no family, and so only Master Altis, a handful of funeral attendants and I were there. Whoever had prepared his body had dressed him in high-collared robes to hide the fact that his head and neck were no longer connected. I kissed his waxy forehead and they closed his box and then it was gone, to be sucked into a distant atmosphere, where he'd be given a Jedi Knight's funeral.  
  
Lord and Lady Getufsko never went to the "proper authorities," or, if they did, the proper authorities never came to us. Either way, we never heard from them again, after that day in the abandoned classroom.  
  
In light of the entire situation and much to my surprise, Master Altis took me as his new padawan, Cerante's replacement. "Your power is far stronger than I first imagined," he told me. "And your affinity for the dark side--as it seems to control your reflexes--requires immediate attention. You're not a bad person, Callista, but you would be a strong asset on whatever side of the Force you choose to serve." I was relieved, because he never devised any other punishment.  
  
But the relief was short. It was less than a month until we received an urgent message from Coruscant: Kasidy and Zara's ship never made it to the Jedi Temple. They had disappeared just outside the system's boundaries, and no one had heard from them since. They were presumed dead.  
  
I related all this to Josef in emotional, even tearful messages. "I think I may come home." I told him once. "This is too hard, Josef, and people are dying because of me. I never wanted this...I may just...I may just come home. Do you think Papa would take me back if I admitted he was right?"  
  
But he was insistent: "Don't you dare come home, Callie. Don't let this get you down. Don't you dare think it's your fault, especially if your Master says it isn't. And Papa isn't right...and you know it. I love you, Callista. I believe in you. If anyone can get through this, it's you."  
  
But I never cried, except for in my messages to Josef. I never let myself cry in front of anyone else. His sympathy was comforting, and it was good to have someone to vent to. Even lightyears apart, we grew closer in those few months after than we'd ever been when we were on the same planet.  
  
I secluded myself more and more from the other students. My only connection to them was Soonta, who became invaluable. The other students, of course, moved on, and soon, they forgot the tragic trio, two of whom were dead and gone for good. After a while, whispers stopped following me wherever I went.  
  
The pain of losing my two best friends so closely together was like a mind-numbing drug, with a permanent hangover effect. Even Cerante, who I had loathed, filled me with guilt and pain, because his death had been my fault. Every day a new memory emerged, some throwaway exchange amongst us that had become priceless: Kasidy visiting me in my room late at night, talking with her for hours. Ilios looking over his computer console and smiling at me. It was painful to remember, to think of them, but it was all my mind could focus on. As a distraction, I threw myself completely into my Jedi studies, reading every text and every holocron Master Altis gave me.  
  
It was a year before things changed.  
  
I hadn't moved in six hours. My mind was far from my body, not feeling the muscle cramps. Master Altis was pacing around me, passing through my vision every once in a while. The lights were low, leaving the room dim and gray. I stared straight ahead. focusing on a nonexistent point in front of me.  
  
Such was my rigorous training as Master Altis' padawan. We'd been working for months, my training accelerated from habitual to consuming. It had become my entire life.  
  
"We are luminous being, Callista," Master Altis broke the last hour's silence. "Not restrained by muscle and bone. That is how we exist beyond our bodies. Now, very slowly, bring yourself back. Do not release your control over your involuntary reactions too quickly."  
  
I relaxed, very slowly stretched my muscles, stiff from holding still for so long. I felt it now--cramp muscles, grown lazy and groaning from sudden use. I pooled the Force over my flaming nerves to ease the pain. As it dulled, I expelled my breath.  
  
"Well done, Callista." Master Altis knelt beside me and put his hand on my shoulder. "You're doing very well. Soon you'll be ready to take the next step."  
  
I looked up at him. "What the next step?"  
  
"Not tonight. It's late. Go to bed now, and we'll continue tomorrow."  
  
"Yes, Master." I stood and bowed, then took my leave. "Good night."  
  
"Good night, Callista."  
  
I walked to my room through empty halls. It was late, and everyone had gone to bed. I was exhausted from my work with Master Altis. When I got to my apartment I stripped my robes off and changed into the loose pants and tight shirt I usually wore to bed. I was crawling beneath the covers when the com beeped. The communicator's voice filled the room: "Incoming call for Callista Nogati from the Cloak and Dagger"  
  
I frowned. I'd never heard of the Cloak and Dagger; nevertheless I answered the call. "Hello?"  
  
"Callie?"  
  
I smiled. "Josef!" It was my brother. He hadn't called for weeks. "Wow--how-how are you?" I touched my forehead in my surprise.  
  
"Um...okay." He said simply. "I took the job, on the ship that I told you about last year. That's where I am now."  
  
"Papa let you?"  
  
"Um...no, actually. I ran away last month. That's why I didn't call. But I'm here, and Callie, oh, it's great." His smile faded. "Listen, Callie, I'm not calling just to catch up. Um, we...the crew and I, we found something in the Outer Rim. It's...it's not easy to tell you this, but--"  
  
"What?" I suddenly had a very bad feeling about things. "What's happened?"  
  
"We think we found your friends, the ones that disappeared last year."  
  
My throat tightened. I was scared to hear the next words, which I already knew:  
  
"They're dead. Murdered, it's...it's terrible. We think--I think you should come."  
  
  
  
Master Altis did let me come along to rendezvous with the Cloak and Dagger. We took one of the shuttles from the Chu'unthor, and Zara Guyenn's former Master, Korin Vella, joined us. He brought along his new padawan. Tornio Valetta was small and slight with a thin face and nervous eyes that twitched continually. He looked sick at the prospect of seeing two dead bodies.  
  
I, myself, was not. Instead, I was a maelstrom of other emotions, the major two being anxiety and relief. The relief surprised me a little. I had known all along that Kasidy and Zara were dead, so finding their bodies was just the last piece of the puzzle.  
  
"Why are they just now telling us this?" Master Vella asked. We were approaching the large gray freighter, the Cloak and Dagger. Nearby, the scorched and scarred remains of a shuttle drifted, tethered to the other by a single cable.  
  
"My brother said they just barely found the shuttle last week," I said. "He called me when he realized who they were."  
  
Master Vella glanced at me indignantly. I knew I had spoken out of turn, but I had felt compelled to defend my bother's integrity. I hadn't considered the fact that Master Vello was my elder and I should only speak to him when he spoke to me directly first.  
  
"Republic shuttle, please identify yourself." a tinny voice emitted from the communicator.  
  
Master Altis returned: "Cloak and Dagger, this is the Republic Shuttle Apollus, from the Jedi ship Chu'unthor."  
  
The com crackled. "Callie?"  
  
I jumped. It was Josef. "Josef!"  
  
I could hear his smile in his voice when he answered. "Welcome aboard. You're clear to land."  
  
Master Altis landed the shuttle in the Dagger's docking bay. As the airlock resealed, Josef burst through the blast doors. I smiled and looked at Master Altis. He gestured to me as if flitting me away. "Go on, go greet your brother."  
  
As composedly as I could manage, I dipped my head. "Yes, Master." Then I ran to the hatch and lowered it, not waiting until it had touched down before leaving the ship.  
  
Josef was waiting for me at the bottom. I threw my arms around him. He spun me around in a circle before setting me down. "Oh, Callie! It's so good to see you!" He pushed me back to look at me. He was my same height now, even though he was two years younger. He had changed so much since I had left that I had to remind myself that he was only sixteen years old. Holo messages still hid a lot. His face was solemn and serious, a demeanor that didn't seem to fit well on his boyish features. I stared back at him, taking in his changes and the things that were still the same.  
  
He enfolded me in another hug, this time a comforting one. "Callie, I'm so sorry."  
  
I hugged him back. "I'm glad you called me."  
  
Master Altis came down the gangplank, and I pulled myself out of Josef's arms. "Josef, this is Djinn Altis, my teacher. Master, this is my brother, Josef Nogati."  
  
Josef stuck his hand out and gripped Master Altis' hand firmly. "Sir, it's a pleasure to finally meet you."  
  
Master Altis nodded. "I remember you from my journey on Chad. You rode the skittish creature that led Callista to me."  
  
Josef cracked a smile, and he was my little brother again. "Yeah, I guess that was me, wasn't it?" He nodded to Master Vella and Turnio as they came down the ramp. "Anyway, Captain Roderick would like to speak with you before you go down to the hold. Just follow me."  
  
I walked beside my master, just behind Josef. We followed him through the corridors of the freighter in silence. The entire ship was dark, as far as I could tell, and backlit with blue light. Steam clouded and curled around our feet, whipping in all directions when cut by our cloaks. The air was humid, thick and sharp when inhaled.  
  
Josef mounted the stairs, taking them three at a time. We followed and reached the bridge.  
  
"Captain," Josef got the attention of the only other person there. He looked up and walked over to us.  
  
Cram Roderick was a muscular man of medium build, with piercing green eyes and dark hair that curled around his ears in a rather charming way. His expression was serious, but his lips were permanently separate as if he was out of breath. In profile, his nose had an angular curve down its bridge. His sleeveless shirt revealed a tattoo of an Ieagan angel with black wings holding an indigo lightsaber. A black dragon curled around his arm to his wrist, baring his teeth at the angel. a tiny silver dagger dangled from a silver hoop in his left ear.  
  
"Hey," he said. "I'm glad you guys are here." He shook hands with Masters Altis and Vella. "I'm Captain Roderick. This is my ship, and it is completely at your services."  
  
"Thank you, Captain." Master Altis said evenly. "If you don't mind, could you take us--"  
  
"Oh, yeah, yeah. I'm sure you're rather anxious to see them. Um...I wanted to make perfectly clear that the condition their bodies are in is exactly how we found them. We didn't do anything to them. Really the only two people who've had access to them are myself and Nogati here. We didn't know what to do with them until he volunteered to call his sister." He looked at me as if to confirm that I was the one to fit that role.  
  
Master Altis lifted a hand. "I'm sure your intentions were honorable." he said.  
  
Roderick nodded. "We have the bodies in the hold. I'll take you down."  
  
The hold was chilly and still, a makeshift morgue. There was little light, even less sounds as the six of us entered. Josef slipped his hand into mine, and I leaned in closer to his shoulder. Inwardly, I berated myself. The moment of truth, and I was getting scurriers.  
  
There was a table at the far end, and two elongated forms underneath a light blue sheet. We clustered around the table, and Roderick looked at all of us. Without a word, he pulled back the sheet.  
  
Josef looked away but I stared at them. I wasn't afraid of bodies. That fear had left me after my seventh lifeday. These bodies had been mummified by a year in the cold and the vacuum of space. The wounds were open and white.  
  
I looked at Kasidy first. Half of her beautiful face was burned away, and her hair was gone. One of her blue eyes had been reduced to a milky, toasted ball in her socket. The chest of her robes was burned and tattered, testament of where she'd been shot.  
  
When I looked at Zara, a queasy feeling rose in my throat. I coughed and tasted bile.  
  
Her face was completely gone, burned away and charred to the ears. One of her lekku had been severed, no doubt a trophy of the kill. The other looked like it had deflated, and was just and empty flap of skin, a tumor.  
  
I looked at Master Altis. His face was stony, but it masked a torrent of emotions that he kept in check. Roderick glanced at him, then at Master Vella. "Are these them?"  
  
It was Master Altis who replied. "Yes. It's them."  
  
An hour later I sat in the Dagger's lounge with Josef, Master Altis and Roderick. Master Vella and Tornia had departed in our shuttle, taking the bodies of Kasidy and Zara with them. Their course would take them past Naboo, to return Kasidy to her family and Ryloth to do the same for Zara. Roderick had asked us to stay behind.  
  
"I don't know how up to date you are on galactic events," he began. "But over the past year the number of Jedi deaths has gone up thirty percent. Not significant enough to be catastrophic, but significant enough to make some people think that someone is targeting them."  
  
Master Altis leaned closer. "I've heard no such reports."  
  
Roderick nodded. "Which is why I'm telling you. I sympathize with the Jedi, and not everyone these days is. I want to help you." He looked from Master Altis to me. "There is a planet along the Corellian Trade Spine that is, as far as I know, one-hundred percent pro-Jedi. Are you familiar with Bespin?"  
  
Master Altis nodded.  
  
"I have an acquaintance there who's a mechanics expert, especially when it comes to installing cloaking devices. His father owns a technology company, which means you could get them cheap. We have to stop at Bespin for supplies, and if you'd like, you can accompany us. I'll put you in touch with my friend, and you're Jedi ship will be protected."  
  
Master Altis sat forward. "Your price?"  
  
Roderick shook his head and spread his hands. "Special favor."  
  
I glanced at Master Altis, and knew from experience that the look on his face meant he was searching for treachery in his tone. He looked at me, encouraging me to probe for myself. I reached out and gently prodded his brain, looking for the telltale emotions that signaled a lie, but I felt none. I opened my eyes and nodded.  
  
Roderick had been kept only a moment.  
  
"Thank you, Captain Roderick." Master Altis said.  
  
Roderick nodded. "Josef, show them to the passenger cabins." We stood up, and Master Altis shook hands with Roderick.  
  
"How long is the trip?" I asked Josef. He shrugged.  
  
"Only a day or so." he said, then dipped his head and looked at me with concern. "Are you all right? You're pale."  
  
I pushed him lightly. "I've been on a spaceship for a year and a half. That's all. You're pale too."  
  
He smiled. It was true. We'd both had tan skin for as long as we could remember. It came with living on the sea. Since we'd left, our tans had faded, leaving our skin pale and, truthfully, I think I liked it better that way. I could tell that his hair had darkened like mine, with no sun to bleach it and dry it stiff.  
  
"Come on," he said. "Let's get a drink from the caf."  
  
I shook my head. "Rain check. I'm exhausted."  
  
"Okay. Coffeine in the morning, then."  
  
I ate breakfast with Josef the next morning, alone in the lounge. Master Altis and Captain Roderick were speaking with the rest of the crew, deciding how best to execute this mission.  
  
Josef poured a mug of coffeine for me. It was strong and hot, jolting the grogginess out of me.  
  
"Wow." I said.  
  
"The navigator, Kev, makes great coffeine. Josef said, plopping down beside me. "The well-being of this ship depends on it."  
  
I smiled.  
  
"How are you doing?" He asked me seriously.  
  
"I'm fine," I said. "I mean, I won't pretend that seeing their bodies wasn't a shock, but I accepted their deaths months ago. If anything, this was closure."  
  
He nodded, and took a swig of his coffeine. "I'm glad."  
  
After a moment of silence, I said, "So tell me what happened between you and Papa."  
  
Josef set down his mug. "You left, what, eighteen months ago?"  
  
"Seventeen," I corrected.  
  
He nodded. "Then it's probably been fifteen months. I met Cram at the Purple Demon in Geramlia. He was looking for a first mate, he told me, and he'd heard I was good. He bought me a drink, we agreed on a salary and had the deal made before Dad could say anything. We didn't even talk to him until after I'd signed a contract and everything."  
  
"What did he say?" I asked.  
  
"The usual: 'You're too young, we need you here, especially with you sister gone.'"  
  
"But I though you were going to join the Republic Navy. What happened to that? I found it hard to believe that everything my brother had ever wanted had so quickly become second best to this.  
  
"I thought about it, and I realized that the only reason I was going to join the Navy was because Papa wanted me to. I didn't."  
  
I nodded. "He couldn't control my future so he tried to control yours."  
  
"Exactly. And here I am, free of paternal control." He spread his arms wide and grinned.  
  
"You're still a kid, Josef. You're sixteen years old."  
  
"What's you're point? You're eighteen."  
  
I waved a hand to close that road of conversation. "Have you talked to him?"  
  
He shook his head. "I figured I'd give him a while to cool off."  
  
I arched an eyebrow. "A year and a half?" I asked incredulously.  
  
Josef rotated his hand rapidly. "Collectively, Callista, collectively. I figure he was still cooling off after you when he had to start cooling of for me. I'd actually give him a few months more."  
  
"Ah." I said with a smile and a nod.  
  
"Anyway, I have talked to Uncle Claine."  
  
"How is he?"  
  
"Good." Josef gulped down the rest of his coffeine. "He's gotten himself a winter ranch in the Circle. Growing fat off the land, I suspect. It'll be good for him."  
  
"So business is fine without us." I said.  
  
Josef pounded the table. "Exactly."  
  
"So...what's Papa so worried about?"  
  
"Who knows?" Josef said with a shrug.  
  
I ate in silence for a few minutes, acknowledging that we both really knew why. I wasn't angry at him anymore, if anything I felt sorry for him, trying to hold his family together and ending up alone. But I couldn't help that; I had my own destiny to follow, and so did Josef, and my sisters.  
  
"Did you ever hear from Maya or Arkna?" I asked.  
  
"Mmm," Josef swallowed the last bite of his breakfast. "Arkna got married. Some Republic lawyer or something. And I think Maya's gonna have a baby. She's probably had it by now."  
  
"How things change." I said contemplatively.  
  
"You've got that right." Josef agreed. Here...let me take your dishes."  
  
  
  
We reached Bespin that evening. The pinkish gas giant was turning orange with the dimming sunlight. It was beautiful, like nothing I'd ever seen before. I watched from the lounge as we plunged through the first layer of atmosphere.  
  
The Cloak and Dagger headed for something in the far-off distance that looked like a child's top. As we got closer, I realized that it was a floating city. "Wow." I breathed. Master Altis smiled at my wonder. Even after a year and a half in space, at heart I was still nothing more than a wide-eyed teenager from a backwater planet. The Dagger soared agilely through the city, weaving around high buildings and giving us a breathtaking view of the entire cityscape. We docked on the outskirts of the floating city, and as we touched down the ship's crew snapped into activity, gathering boxes of supplies to trade with. In all the chaos, Josef found me and tossed me a pair of pants."  
  
"What are these for?" I asked.  
  
"We don't want to be too conspicuous," he replied. "and Jedi robes are definitely that. Do you have an extra shirt?"  
  
"Oh, yeah. Why don't we want to be too conspicuous? I though Roderick said Bespin was Jedi-friendly."  
  
Josef shrugged. "Can't be too careful. Go ahead and get changed." He stepped out of the room and closed the door behind him.  
  
I changed quickly. Josef's pants were big on me, both in length and width. I tightened them around my hips and fastened my belt as far as it would go. I always wore a small white shirt beneath my robes, so I just wore that, and hoped it wouldn't be too cold. I borrowed a pair of Josef's black leather work boots, too, then I slipped out of the passenger cabin and trotted down to the cargo hold.  
  
Master Altis and Roderick stood together near the crew. Master Altis was dressed in a rust-colored coverall, which was strange since I'd never seen him wear anything other than his tan robes. He turned and looked at me. "Good. You're here." He said, walking over to me. "Roderick and I have spoken with this man you're going to meet. His name his Geith Jiséo. Go and meet him at this address, and bring him here so we can finalize all the details."  
  
I took a sheet of flimsiplast from him and read the name, then nodded and stuffed it in my pocket. "I won't fail, Master."  
  
Master Altis put a hand on my shoulder. "I don't doubt that. I'm going to stay here and inform the Chu'unthor about the situation. Take a comlink so I can contact you, or you can contact me."  
  
I nodded. "Yes, Master." I bowed slightly and dropped to the lower level to help Josef and the crew load the speeder.  
  
  
  
Roderick loaned me a speeder to get to Jiséo's garage. I guided it through the semi-crowded streets, using my time alone to practice the awareness techniques Master Altis had been teaching me, feeling out the people around me as a I passed them. I sensed little hostility, which I expected. There was mostly aimless and wandering thought. Most of these people were too busy thinking about their individual lives to be concerned with others.  
  
Jiséo's garage was a simple-faced building, so simple that I almost missed it. The large hangar door was lowered, and a sign in the walk-in door said CLOSED in several different languages. I stopped the speeder and stared at the sign, pursing my lips as I tried to think of what to do. I could go back tot he Cloak and Dagger and say I couldn't complete my task, but that meant I hadn't exhausted every path, which Master Altis had taught me to do. Going back now meant admitting failure.  
  
I stretched out through the Force, and sensed the presence of a single person inside. One path remained open.  
  
I hopped out of the speeder and walked to the door. It was a rustic think made of wood like Uncle Claine's ark. I tested the handle, and it turned easily inside my fist. I pushed it open and walked inside.  
  
The interior of the room I walked into was dimly lit and dirty. There was nobody there, but an open door led to the work area. I poked my head in, and was greeted by the whirring of machinery and the hissing of a faulty heater.  
  
"Hello?" I called.  
  
A tremendous crash emanated form behind a high worktable, punctuated by a long string of angry and colorful words.  
  
I edged closer to the worktable, weaving around mountainous piles of dirty rags and tools. I leaned on the corner of the table and peered down at the speeder. A pair of khaki-panted legs stuck out form underneath it.  
  
"Mind if I take a moment of your time?" I said.  
  
A loud clang of a cry of pain answered me. The mechanic was on a rolling board, so they slid out form underneath the speeder and sat up, rubbing his head.  
  
"Are you all right?" I asked, stepping forward and taking his arm to help him up.  
  
"Damned piece of--" he muttered, then he looked at me and stopped talking. My reaction was similar, though I didn't have to stop talking. Instead, my mouth fell open.  
  
The mechanic was a head taller than me, with spiky red hair. His blue eyes were fixed on mine, sparkling form a clean-shaven but oil-stained face. He had a gold ring in his right ear. Under my fingers, his arm was taut with muscle.  
  
He was really good looking.  
  
His mouth opened and closed several times like a beached fish. "Um-- I, uh--I don't think it--" he stammered, then finally gave up use of speech. I took my hand off his arm.  
  
"Uh, are you Geith Jiséo?"  
  
His head bobbed up and down several times. "Yeah. Yes, that's me." He looked down at me and gripped the back of his utility belt.  
  
"Okay...great. Uh, I need your help. I'm here with Cram Roderick--"  
  
"Oh! Yeah, he said you were coming. "Yeah, I can help you out. I don't keep cloaking devices lying around here--well, maybe one or two--but I can have twenty here by the end of the week." He glanced back at me, for his gaze had wandered around his shop while he was talking. "That should be enough, with the measurements that Genie guy gave me."  
  
I tried unsuccessfully to stifle a laugh. "Genie?"  
  
He smiled sheepishly. "I've never been too good with names."  
  
I stuck out my hand. "Well, remember this one. "I'm Callista." 


	7. Kiss Me I'm Dying

Mergirl: Callista's Story  
  
By Ambassador Cara Jade  
  
Part 7: Kiss Me I'm Dying  
  
  
  
I drove Geith back o the Cloak and Dagger, where he and Roderick embraced like long-lost brothers.  
  
"Good to see you again, man," Roderick said, slapping Geith on the back.  
  
"Yeah, you too." Geith said. Roderick introduced him to the crew, and then to Master Altis.  
  
As he shook hands with him, I saw the vague expression cross his face. I leaned close to him and whispered, "Genie."  
  
Geith joined us for a dinner of freeze-dried steaks, and after the rest of the crew had left to store the things they'd traded that day, he and Roderick and Master Altis bantered ideas and prices back over coffeine. Josef and I sat quietly together, listening.  
  
"You'll have to bring the Chu'unthor here," Geith said. "It couldn't be too difficult to hide it somewhere in this gas giant, even a ship as large as yours."  
  
Master Altis replied, "I've contacted the captain, and they're on their way here. I'd expect them the day after tomorrow."  
  
"Excellent," Geith said. "What kind of mechanical crew do you have on board"?"  
  
"About one hundred men,"  
  
Geith sighed. "That's only five men per device, and nowhere near enough."  
  
"We'll help," Roderick said.  
  
"What about the students on board?" Geith asked. "Are any of them good with a spanner?"  
  
Master Altis shrugged. "Off the top of my head, I'm not sure."  
  
Geith nodded. "We're going to need anywhere from twenty to thirty men working on each device. The less people we have, the longer it will take."  
  
"I'll ask the masters to gather the students with the technical expertise you need. Now," Master Altis switched topics, leaning forward and folding his hands. "The problem is that the Jedi alone cannot pay for these modifications."  
  
"And you can't go to the Republic." Josef said.  
  
Altis nodded. "There is the possibility that someone in the Senate may be involved in this. Therefore, there cannot be a traceable record of transaction."  
  
Geith nodded. "Yeah, okay." He frowned. "This makes things more difficult. Originally I was thinking maybe thirty cloakers, but that's enormously expensive." His mouth firmed up, as if he was thinking hard for an answer that wouldn't come. He glanced at me, and licked his lips with the tip of his tongue. "Well, I do have a few special models of my own design at my garage. They cover a wider area and don't double-blind. It's an experiment I've been working on. Maybe you'd like to test it for me."  
  
Master Altis nodded. "How much?"  
  
Geith glanced at me again, then at Master Altis. I saw the wheels turning between his ears. He could make a fortune if these models did what he said the did. "Nothing. You're my test subjects."  
  
I bit my lip and looked at Josef. This was too easy. Master Altis said that people always have an ulterior motive, even if it wasn't readily apparent. For some reason, I didn't think Geith's was to test his new models.  
  
But Master Altis nodded. "Then we remain in your debt."  
  
I looked at my master, watching for any sign of what he was thinking as he shook hands with Geith. But he was always good at masking his emotions. He held his hand out to me to let me pass him. "Callista, would you take Master Jiséo home?"  
  
"Yes, Master." I replied, dipping my head and then looking at Geith. "Let's go."  
  
"Lead on." Geith said, and we walked wordlessly out of the lounge, down the ramp and to the parked speeder.  
  
It wasn't until we were halfway back to his garage that he said anything:  
  
"I guess we'll be seeing quite a bit of each other for the next few weeks."  
  
I nodded. "I suppose so." I took me eyes off the road long enough to look at him. "Thank you," I said. "This means a lot to me...what you're doing."  
  
He laughed self-deprecatingly. "Well..." he didn't finish his thought.  
  
We stopped in front of his garage, but he didn't get out. I looked at him. He was looking at me. "Thanks for the lift," he said. He paused, then opened the passenger door. Then, hurriedly, he closed it again and turned to me. "Um...since you're going to be here for a few days...well, you're not gonna have anything to do until your ship comes..."  
  
I watched him struggle to speak, not saying a word myself.  
  
"Would you like to have dinner tomorrow night? I mean, I'm sure that you'll be hungry and wanting to eat, but...with me?"  
  
I smiled, pleasantly surprised. "I'd like that." His ears turned pink and he exhaled, relieved.  
  
"Great." He smiled and opened the door again. "I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
"Bye," I said as he got out. I hid my smile until he closed the door. Then a sudden thrill rose in my stomach, like I'd never felt--well once before, when Ilios had been alive. In a moment, all my Jedi seriousness fell away, leaving an eighteen-year-old girl who'd just been asked out by a really hot guy.  
  
I was lost in trivial thoughts as I drove back to the ship, things that had never crossed my mind, especially: what would I wear?  
  
As I turned a corner, I heard shouts and grunts from an alley. Or at least, I thought I did. I stopped the speeder and cut the engine, listened.  
  
The sound of a fist connecting with flesh, followed by a grunt and a thud.  
  
"Talk, you fool! Save yourself!" An angry voice roared. I leapt out of the speeder and crouched behind it as I made sure I was clear. Then I crept to the mouth of the dark alley.  
  
There were three figures standing over a fourth, prone figure. They held force pikes or clubs. Their victim writhed on the ground. He was human, middle-aged, from his build and features.  
  
"Enough of this," one of them said, a short, thin man with sculpted blond hair that glinted in the moonlight. "Cuff him. Let them deal with him." The second man knelt beside the fallen figure and slapped stun cuffs around his wrists and hauled him to his feet. The man cried out and his knees buckled, which made the stuncuffs send a charge through his body, and he fell back to the ground.  
  
"Get up, Jedi!"  
  
Jedi.  
  
"Hey!" I called, running down the alley. The blond man looked up in surprise. As I ran, I called on the Force and stretched out one hand. "Leave him alone," I said evenly. I felt the power rising in my hands as I moved closer.  
  
The blond man laughed jovially. "Nothing to see here, little girl. Run along." He laughed again, and his two thugs joined in stupidly.  
  
So I lifted them into the air. They cried out in shock and anger and I moved to stand under them. "I don't think so," I said, and threw them down the alley. They landed with a number of dull thuds, unconscious and unmoving.  
  
I took a deep breath and released the Force. I looked at the man, who was still lying on the ground. Kneeling by is side, I heard his labored breathing. "Are you all right?"  
  
He wheezed. "Jedi--"  
  
I nodded. "Yes, I'm a Jedi." I grabbed his hand, reaching out through the Force to nurture his presence to keep him alive. "Who were they?"  
  
He squeezed my hand. "Padawan." he said, a vague smile on his lips. "They will kill us."  
  
I touched his chest, felt hot and sticky blood saturating his clothes. "Oh..." I muttered, and pressed my hand against the wound.  
  
"Bounty hunters," he rasped. "Sent...sent by--"  
  
"Sent by who?"  
  
"Chan--chan--" his last breath could not finish the name. His eyes closed, his presence waned.  
  
Master Altis had taught me about how some Jedi's bodies disappeared when they died, becoming one with the Force. Such it was with this Jedi. After his heart stopped, his body evaporated, vanished from my arms. I sighed and bowed my head. "May the Force be with you." I whispered to the nothingness, but he was gone.  
  
At the end of the alley, the blond man was waking up. I stood up straight and ran. I was Jedi, too, and I doubted that they'd hesitate to do the same thing to me that they'd done to the dead Jedi. I ran to the speeder and leapt over the side into the driver's seat. It was started in seconds, and, as I tore away, I saw the blond man emerge from the alleyway. He brought a blaster to bear and fired, missed. I floored the acceleration and doubled my speed.  
  
"Master!" I cried as I shut off the speeder. I jumped over the side and ran up the ramp. "Master Altis!" I skidded around corners to the lounge, but only Josef was there.  
  
"Where's Master Altis?" I wheezed.  
  
"Right here, Callista. What is it?" Master Altis appeared in the doorway behind me and grabbed my arm, as if he was afraid I'd pass out.  
  
I took a deep breath. "Another--another Jedi is dead." I swallowed. "Murdered."  
  
Master Altis looked at me for a moment. "Did you know who he was?"  
  
I shook my head. "No, Master. I'd never seen him before."  
  
"Is there a body?"  
  
"No. He became one with the Force."  
  
Master Altis sighed. "We haven't much time." He looked at me. "We need to identify the Jedi. Come inside. Josef, you come too." He led us to the passenger cabins. I sat on the bed and Josef leaned against the wall, arms folded. Watching Master Altis, he looked more thoughtful and worrisome since I'd ever seen him, after when Ilios and Cerante did. His hands were pressed together and his index fingers touched his lips. He paced the length of the room and then turned and faced us.  
  
"Callista, I need you to show me the Jedi you found."  
  
I nodded and brushed stray hair out of my face. Master Altis knelt in front of me and touched my forehead. I felt the memory rising, and helped to pass it to him. He pulled back and sighed. "Liet Mor-Kasa," he said.  
  
"You knew him?" Josef asked.  
  
"Knew of him. A great Jedi, and a cunning warrior."  
  
"He tried to tell me who killed him." I said. "Did you hear his last words?"  
  
Master Altis nodded. "Chan. No Jedi I know of are named Chan."  
  
Master Altis and I spent the afternoon locked in the passenger cabin, talking to Mace Windu of the Jedi Council.  
  
"And you didn't get a good look at whoever killed him?" Master Windu asked me.  
  
I shook my head. "No, Master. But I don't believe it's relevant, because Mor-Kasa said he was a bounty hunter."  
  
"He may lead us to his employer." Windu said thoughtfully. "Master Altis," he shifted his attention to my Master. "Keep your senses alert. This is not the first report of Jedi murder that we have encountered. Look for other signs. And continue with your endeavor to hide the Chu'unthor. Until we discover who this 'Chan' is, we must be more careful."  
  
Master Altis bowed formally. "Yes, Master."  
  
"May the Force be with you," Master Windu said, and Master Altis and I bowed again. The holo of Windu disintegrated, and Master Altis turned to me.  
  
"If you're going out tonight, I want you to be especially careful."  
  
"Do you trust Jiséo, Master?" I asked.  
  
"Yes, but we know nothing of his associates. Be mindful, and trust your feelings."  
  
"Yes, Master." I said, and looked at the chrono. "I should probably get ready to go."  
  
I glanced at Master Altis, and after he nodded, I went to Josef's separate quarters.  
  
It occurred to me that my choice of wardrobe was basically a pair of Josef's pants and one of my own shirts, unless I wanted to wear my Jedi robes. I'd been working and helping Roderick and Josef with minor repairs that morning, so what I was wearing was streaked with grease and dust. But Josef had said I could borrow another pair of his pants, and I did have another shirt, thankfully. After changing, there wasn't anything else I could do.  
  
I was nervous, really nervous. I'd never been on a date before; I had no idea how to act. As I stared at my reflection in Josef's shaving mirror, my brother knocked on the door. I turned around as he opened it. He flopped on the bed. "I'm exhausted," he said.  
  
I threw a towel at him. "Then go to sleep."  
  
"Where are you going?" he said.  
  
"To get something to eat." I walked out of the cabin with a smile and a wave, and passed Master Altis in the lounge. He looked up, and his eyes twinkled.  
  
"Be safe, padawan. I'll see you tomorrow."  
  
Tomorrow?  
  
Suddenly Master Altis seemed like a father, inquiring about his daughter's plans. He got up and started to leave when the hatch summons sounded. I looked at him and smiled. "Good night, Master." I opened the hatch and walked out to meet my date.  
  
Geith took me to a club called the Smash House. Like all the local buildings, the facade was plain and indistinguishable, but the inside was a sea of flashing colors and strobe lights. The entrance was at the top of a flight of skeletal stairs that overlooked the rest of the House.  
  
"What do you think?" Geith shouted over the thumping music.  
  
"It's...loud." I shouted back.  
  
He grabbed my hand. "Stay close," he said, and led me down the stairs. "You ever go clubbing?"  
  
"What?"  
  
We were on our way to the dance floor when--  
  
"Geith! My man!"  
  
Geith turned to the man approaching us. He was short, and thin, with blond hair sculpted to perfection. Geith grabbed his hand and slapped his back.  
  
"Evin! What's up?"  
  
"So much, man. What're you doin'?"  
  
Geith grabbed my hand and led me over. "Evin, this is Callista. Callista, my best friend, Evin."  
  
Evin lifted my hand and flips his over so my palm rested on the back of his hand. "Enchanted." He said, and gallantly kissed my knuckles.  
  
His touch sent a chilled shock through me, a familiar sensation.  
  
"Callie, you okay?" Geith touched my shoulder.  
  
"Huh? I'm fine." I looked at Evin again. His blue eyes were looking at me coldly. They flicked back and forth, as if searching for a memory.  
  
"So, man," he continued. "I gotta talk to you about--" he glanced briefly at me, as if this was something I wasn't supposed to hear. "--that bad line of speeders. I think there's gonna be a recall."  
  
Geith shook his head. "Not now, man. Stop by my place later."  
  
Evin nodded. "Fine. I'm out." He bent in an exaggerated bow and disappeared.  
  
Geith took my hand again. "Who was that?" I asked.  
  
"Just a friend of mine. Don't worry about him. He's just a little off."  
  
I nodded.  
  
"Come on. Let's eat." he said, and we sat down. The next thing I knew, a towering pillar of gray fur stood next to our table. I craned my neck upwards to look at its face. I'd never seen a Wookiee before.  
  
"Satellite, how's it goin'?" Geith asked. "Callista, I'd like you to meet Satellite, the owner of this illustrious facility.  
  
Satellite growled and patted my head with one large paw. He brought our food and tall glasses of bubbling green liquid. Geith smiled and picked up his glass. "Don't drink this too fast. To your health." We clinked glasses and he downed his quickly I watched him for a moment, the swallowed a large gulp. It burned like acid all the way down, past my lungs. My eyes widened in surprise. Geith laughed. "I warned you." His eyes twinkled. "Don't drink much, do you?"  
  
I shook my head, and he raised his eyebrows.  
  
"At all," I admitted, and he laughed again.  
  
We talked for a long time. Geith was twenty-three and native to Corellia. He'd traveled the galaxy with his father, managing his mechanics business. His father had died a year ago, and the company had gone bankrupt. He'd been on Bespin ever since, working to pay the rent.  
  
After dinner, we left and walked the streets of the city, still talking. He asked me questions, about my training, my family, my life. I found myself telling him everything about me, anything he wanted to know. I'd never been so open with someone, and now that I was, I felt more free. His hand slipped around mine comfortingly as I told him about my parents, my mother who killed her self and my father who grew too distant to be a real father. After a few minutes, I started getting uncomfortable, so I changed the subject.  
  
"Geith, why are you helping us?"  
  
He looked at me curiously. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Why aren't you asking for anything in return?"  
  
Geith stopped me underneath a streetlight. "I didn't have to. I got you." He touched my face. His fingers were trembling. "From the moment I saw you, I knew I'd do anything to see you smile."  
  
And so I did.  
  
Geith's apartment was above his garage. Just inside the door was his sitting room, but he didn't have any furniture.  
  
"What--" I started to question.  
  
"Pillows are cheaper, and, if you ask me, more comfortable." He explained jokingly, taking off my coat and tossing it on the floor. "Can I get you anything?" he asked, moving to the kitchen, which also didn't have a table or chairs. He leaned on the counter and looked at me.  
  
I shook my head. "No, thanks," I said, and her returned to me, wrapping his arms around my waist.  
  
"You look beautiful," he said.  
  
I smiled. "Thanks."  
  
He looked down at my hands on his chest, touched one of them with his own. "Callie, I--I really, really like you. I don't think I've ever met anyone like you. Look at you--you're honest, you know? You're real." He laughed and shook his head. "I'm sorry, I don't do this very often. I have no idea what I'm supposed to say."  
  
I smiled, and touched his lips with my finger. "Neither do I," I said. "Let's do this--let's not say anything."  
  
Geith kissed my fingertips, then my palm. After that, he moved to my mouth. I closed my eyes and kissed him back in my own self-imposed darkness. His hands slipped around my waist again, pulling me against him. His lips were warm and soft, his mouth barely open and his stray breaths brushing against my cheeks. Dimly, I was are that his fingers cad crept beneath my shirt.  
  
I remembered a time when I was twelve years old. Papa's new wife Anela had preached to me about the value of saving sex until after marriage.  
  
Geith tugged at the hem of my shirt, and I lifted my arms so he could pull it over my head.  
  
I never listened to Anela anyway.  
  
Geith kissed me again and again, long into the night.  
  
I awoke to darkness, disorientation. I was lying on the floor among pillows and blankets, one of which was bunched around my waist as I laid on my side. My arms clutched a pillow as if it were another body. I had expected Geith to be in the place of the pillow, bur I was alone in his bedroom.  
  
The walls were paper thin in his apartment, and the door was open a crack, so it was easy to hear the voices in the next room:  
  
"What's your problem, man? I thought you were down with this."  
  
"No one was supposed to get killed, Evin," Geith said. My muscles clinched. Killed...Evin's voice was familiar to me now that it wasn't muffled by the music of the Smash House. Now his face fell into its place.  
  
It had been Evin who had killed Liet Mor-Kasa.  
  
And Geith was in on it.  
  
"He was going to die anyway!" Evin said. "I did him a favor, killing him when I did. Hey, do you have anything to drink around here? Somethin' hard? I'm parched, and whipped."  
  
The sound of a refrigeration unit opening, and glass changing hands, then a bottle opening.  
  
"That's not why we took the job. We're just supposed to catch them."  
  
Evin exhaled loudly after a long gulp of whatever Geith had given him. "Why do you care so much, man? Everyone says they're getting too powerful. Do you really want to be governed by people who can control minds?"  
  
"Evin, maybe they're not all like that?"  
  
"What's up with you, man? Why'd you change your mind so suddenly?" He slammed his bottle on the counter. "Is it that chick?"  
  
"None of your business, Evin. I want out."  
  
"You can't. You're in too far."  
  
"No. I'm out. That's it."  
  
Silence. I listened intently. Evin was rolling the bottom of the bottle on the counter. "Fine," he said finally. "You're out."  
  
"And you are, too. Out. Now."  
  
I heard footsteps, and closed my eyes again. A shadow passed over me, paused. I felt Evin's eyes on me, felt him contemplating, thinking about me and what Geith had said.  
  
Then I heard his thoughts, as loudly as if he'd spoken it:  
  
Jedi.  
  
Then the door closed, and another opened and slammed shut. The bedroom door opened again, and Geith knelt beside me in the pillows. He touched my face, brushing hair back. I opened my eyes. He looked taken aback for an instant, but then relaxed. "Callie,"  
  
I knew I could trust Geith. He hadn't known I was listening; everything he'd told Geith was true.  
  
"I saw Evin kill a man, Geith," I said, y voice sounding weird and raspy in my ears. "Last night."  
  
"Two nights ago, actually," he corrected, confirming at the same time.  
  
I swallowed, afraid to know the truth. "I know that you weren't there, but...did you have anything to do with it?"  
  
Geith shook his head.  
  
"That was the job you were talking about?"  
  
"Yeah. Well, pat of it. We're supposed to catch any Jedi we find, not kill them."  
  
I sat up, my confidence in him shaken enough that I needed to hear it come from his own mouth. "Geith, can I trust you?"  
  
Geith sighed, and touched my chin. "Callista, I will never, ever betray you," There was no deception in his heart. I held out my arms, and hugged him. Releasing a relieved sigh, he held my close, kissing my shoulder. We laid back in the pillows and gazed at the ceiling. Geith traced circles on my stomach, tickling electricity through my body. "He's my best friend, Callie, but I would kill him if he ever tried to hurt you."  
  
I snuggled closer under his arm. "Do you think he'll come after you? You were probably hired to hunt Jedi sympathizers too, right?"  
  
"Yes." He said grimly. "I don't know. I'd like to think that he won't, but that sounds really naive."  
  
We laid in silence for a long time, just enjoying the feel of each other's flesh, the sound of our breath, the scent of our dried sweat. Geith felt warm, and good, loving. he'd melted part of the hard shell I'd built around myself, and I felt happy, truly happy, for this first time in a long time.  
  
"What time is it?" I murmured.  
  
Geith looked at his chronometer. "A little after eight."  
  
"Blast," I said, sitting up and reaching for my clothes. "Master Altis is probably wondering where I am."  
  
Geith sat up and took my arm, and started kissing my neck. "No...stay. He's a Jedi, he knows where you are."  
  
"And that's so much better," I said jokingly, turning my head and kissing him. He returned to the back of my neck and my shoulders. I wrenched away. "No fair!" I shrieked and laughed as he held my strongly. "I have to go!" I said with another laugh. I looked at him and stopped struggling. Finally, he released me.  
  
"Yeah...I have to open up the garage. I'll walk you out, though."  
  
I got dressed and Geith walked me through the garage to his front door. As he opened it for me, I looked back at him. "I had a wonderful time."  
  
He kissed me. "I certainly hope so, because so did I." He said.  
  
I smiled and stepped out the door. "I'll call you later." I said. I walked down the street, looking over my shoulder at him. He smiled at me and waved. I waved back, then turned and continued down the street, smiling happily.  
  
When I got back to the Cloak and Dagger, I looked over my shoulder, wary after overhearing the conversation at Geith's apartment. Then I ran up the ramp and closed it behind me.  
  
Master Altis was sitting in the lounge, eyes closed. I knew he knew that I was there; it was pointless to try and sneak past.  
  
"Good morning" he said, opening his eyes to look at me.  
  
"Good morning, Master." I itched to tell him about Evin.  
  
Patience.  
  
"I assume dinner went...well?" he said wryly, raising and eyebrow.  
  
I smiled. "You could say that."  
  
He raised a finger. "Be mindful of your thoughts, padawan. I should warn you, then Council frowns on relationships between Jedi and non," he paused. "Fortunately, your Geith isn't non-Jedi."  
  
I dipped my head. "What?"  
  
"That is, if he chooses to train. I sensed his power when we were negotiating for the cloakers. I'm sure you can convince him," he added, with a gleam in his eye.  
  
I nodded. "I think he should join us either way,"  
  
"Thoughts, Callista."  
  
"Not just that!" I said defensively. "He's in danger. I found out who killed Liet Mor-Kasa."  
  
Master Altis looked at me in surprise. "Who?"  
  
"Geith's best friend, Evin Filipiak. I heard them talking about it this morning." I thought back to the conversation. "Master, someone is hiring mercenaries to roundup Jedi. Evin is just killing them for the hell of it."  
  
Master Altis nodded. "Then we best leave."  
  
I looked at him curiously. "But, Master, won't he just follow us? Wouldn't it be to the Jedi's advantage to kill him?"  
  
"But then they could condemn us. If we evade them, our hands remain innocent."  
  
I nodded. "Yes, Master."  
  
"The Chu'unthor will be arriving tonight. We'll leave as soon as we can retreat to it. Stay and do what you can to help, then you can go for Geith later tonight. Bounty hunters don't strike in the light."  
  
There wasn't much to do to ready the ship for departure, so I spent the afternoon in the guest cabins, poring over Master Altis' history book plates. I was in there until nightfall, when Geith arrived, cloakers in tow.  
  
"Callista!" Master Altis called. "Could you come and help us, please?"  
  
I shut off the bookplate and went to the cargo hold. The entire crew was unloading the two cloakers. I swung down to the next level and started working behind Geith. He looked over his shoulder and smiled at me. "Hi," he said under his labored breath.  
  
"Hey, I need to talk to you," I said. "Let's finish here."  
  
"Okay."  
  
We worked together and pushed both of the cloakers onto the ship. With the weight dispersed evenly among us, it wasn't as difficult, but Master Altis told me not to use my powers: "Never take the easy way out."  
  
Once we'd finished, I took Geith's hand and led him away from the rest of the group. "Geith," I told him. "We're leaving tonight."  
  
"What?" Geith's face fell with confusion. "What are you talking about?"  
  
He gripped my arms, and I put my hands over his. "It's dangerous here," I said. "For all of us. Even you." I looked pointedly at him. "Master Altis wants to train you as a Jedi. You can come with us, and be safe." I touched his face. "Be with me."  
  
Geith looked at me until Master Altis joined us. "Ah, did you tell him, Callista?" he asked.  
  
Geith and I lowered our eyes and our hands, and took a step back.  
  
"Yes, Master," I said, clearing my throat.  
  
He looked at Geith. "And what do you think, boy?"  
  
"I'm not sure, Master Altis. This is all going so fast I haven't quite had a chance to catch up." Geith replied. He looked at me, and I stared back, thinking Please...please do this.  
  
He looked down, then up again. I don't know what to do.  
  
"Evin won't spare you because you're his friend, Geith. He will kill you."  
  
"We don't know that." Geith argued.  
  
"Master Altis knows that. I know that. You know you can trust me."  
  
"Geith," Master Altis said. "Loyalties do not always last forever. You and your friend have parted ways. Now you must protect yourself."  
  
"I don't do that by turning my tail and running." Geith snarled. He was getting angry. I put a hand on his chest to calm him.  
  
"We are removing ourselves from a dangerous situation, that's all. If you are to be a Jedi, you'll learn the difference."  
  
"And that's another thing." Geith said, shifting his stance. "What is all this about me training to be a Jedi? I don't have the Force."  
  
"But you do," Master Altis replied. "Geith, it's in your best interest to come with us. Please."  
  
Geith looked at me again. His gaze lingered a little longer this time. Then he sighed and looked at his boots. "All right," he said, and smiled when I did. "All right. I'll come with you."  
  
Master Altis nodded. "Excellent."  
  
Geith jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "Can I go back to my apartment and get some stuff?"  
  
"Hurry. Callista," Master Altis added. "Go ahead and go with him."  
  
Geith grabbed my hand. "I'll drive this time."  
  
We got back to Geith's garage and ran up to his apartment. He grabbed a duffel bag from his closet. "Callie, there's a cash box down in the office." He tossed me a ring of keys. "The one with the green paint on it. Open the box and take all the money out. I'll be ready by the time you get back."  
  
I nodded and ran back down the stairs and knelt behind Geith's desk. I opened the cash box and grabbed the bundles of credit papers and coins. There was a bag in the box, too, so I stuffed everything inside it.  
  
Geith clattered down the stairs, his bag over his shoulder. "You got it?" he said.  
  
I nodded and held up the bag. "Let's go."  
  
"Okay." He started the rest of the way down the stairs. "Oh, wait." he said, and stopped. "I forgot something. Come with me." I followed him up the stairs, and when he opened the door he grabbed my hand and put it over his shoulder and kissed me. He pulled me into the apartment and shut the door. "I think we have a minute."  
  
I smiled. "Forgot something, did you?"  
  
"Of course."  
  
I kissed him again. Then, suddenly, I felt a flash of danger and opened my eyes. I pushed Geith away and touched my mouth. "Geith," I said, and he turned around.  
  
Evin was standing in a dark corner, leaning against the wall, watching us.  
  
"Please," he said. "Don't let me interrupt." 


	8. Laughter in the Dark

Mergirl: Callista's Story  
  
By Ambassador Cara Jade  
  
Part 8: Laughter in the Dark  
  
  
  
Geith sighed and rubbed his forehead. "What're you doing, man?"  
  
"Just my job, Geith." He snapped his fingers, and at the same time I felt a flare of danger, but before I could react, someone grabbed me violently from behind. I grunted and tried to wrench free, but the man was very strong.  
  
"Callista!" Geith cried and lunged for the man that held me, but another appeared from the shadows and grabbed him. "Get off me! Get off!"  
  
Evin stuck his thumbs in the back belt loops of his pants and sauntered closer. He nonchalantly drew a switchblade from his belt and twirled it on his fingers. Then the blade was out and pressed against my throat. It was cold on my skin, making me gasp with shock.  
  
Evin stared icily into my eyes. "Geith, this is your last chance, man. You can still walk away clean."  
  
"You're crazy, man." Geith strained from behind the man's arm around his neck.  
  
Evin smiled, still staring at me. "I like you, Geith, and that's why I'm giving you another chance."  
  
I looked at him; he was looking back at me. He closed his mouth, licked his lips. "No."  
  
I looked back at Evin. His face was strong, impassive. "Suit yourself, Jiséo." he said. The blade of the knife shifted ever-so-slightly against my skin. I grabbed the Force like a lightsaber and prepared to strike a blow at these people.  
  
Evin touched my face, and I had the strongest urge to bite his fingers. "They will pay handsomely for you." he said.  
  
Now.  
  
I threw the Force upon him like boiling water, and got very much the same reaction. The man who held me cried out and released me, as did the man holding Geith.  
  
"Come on!" I cried, kicking away desperate hands that latched around my ankles. Geith picked up his duffel and grabbed my hand. We ran down the stairs.  
  
"Get them!" Evin screamed after us. Pounding footsteps followed us as we dodged the mounds of parts and trash. A blaster bolt melted a clutch of screws to a spaner beside us. I screamed and chanced a looked behind us.  
  
Evin's two thugs were close on our heels, blasters drawn.  
  
"The speeder!" Geith creid and burst through the door. He leapt desperately for the speeder--  
  
--and froze when he saw the condition of the ruined engine. It had melted, like the screws.  
  
"Run!" I pushed him down the dark street. All the while I felt them followin us, tracking every blind turn made without judgement. Geith held my hand as we ran. His legs were longer and his strides wider. My breath heaved in and out of my lungs, my blood pounded in my ears. My sides ached. My feet struck the pavement rythmically. Every so often I looked behind me, and every time they were there, all of them running after us.  
  
"Here!" Geith cried and pulled me around a corner. It was an alley, and there was a chain-link fence on the other end. I called the Force and leapt at the fence. Geith and I clamored up and over it, and dropped to the ground on the other side. We collapsed into a pile of garbage and crouched behind the bags. They had stopped rustling by the time Evin and his thugs passed us.  
  
"Stay still," I said. "Wait for a moment."  
  
Nobody returned, and when we had caught our breath, we crept from the garbage. I looked at Geith, and sighed. "Let's go." We started running again.  
  
But when we reached the corner, something broad and heavy knocked my to the ground. I screamed.  
  
"Callista!" Geith yelled and ran to rip the net off me, but Evin stunned him. He dropped beside me, out cold. I gasped and tried to move. A jolt rocked my body. A stun net.  
  
Evin knelt beside me. "What is so special about you, huh?" he asked, his tone amused. I didn't move, other than to breathe. I stared at him. "What about you is so endearing that it makes this mercenary turn against his friends? YOu think being a Jedi let's you do whatever you want?"  
  
I didn't answer.  
  
Evin stood up with a disgusted sigh. "Load 'em up, guys."  
  
"But...Geith--"  
  
"I said load them up! Both of them!"  
  
A low hum indicated the approach of a ship. I looked to the source of the sound.  
  
It was the Cloak and Dagger.  
  
Not my own brother, I thought.  
  
I sighed with relief as the turbolasers fired at the two thugs advancing on Geith and I, sending them high into the air on the back of an explosion. The Dagger hovered above us, out of my range of vision. I heard two people drop to the ground. One of them had to be Master Altis, because the stun net was ripped off my back. I jumpd up and ran to Geith's side.  
  
"Geith! Geith, wake up!"  
  
Josef skidded to his knees beside me. "He's out. Let's get him on board." He and I lifted Geith's arms over our shoulders and ran to the Dagger as Cram brought it down. The ramp was lowered, and Master Altis and I lifted us all up to the edge of it.  
  
"Go! Go! Go!" Josef yelled.  
  
Roderick closed the ramp and lifted off again.  
  
"How did you know?" I asked Master Altis.  
  
"I sensed your emotions through the Force," he said. "You probably had no idea I was monitoring you."  
  
"No," I said. I half-carried, half-dragged Geith to the passenger cabin. We collapsed onto the bed; I laid him out carefully and sat next to him. He finally stirred and opened his eyes.  
  
"Good morning," I said, smiling and stroking his chest.  
  
He groaned and took my hand. "Hey, baby. You okay?"  
  
I smiled. "I'm fine. How do you feel?"  
  
"Like I got run over by a garbade sled," he said with a laugh and beckoned me to lie down with him. I laid my head on his chest. "I'm sorry about Evin," he said. "If I'd had any idea--"  
  
"Don't worry," I said, touching his face. "It's okay. He can't hurt us anymore."  
  
Geith hugged me close and didn't say anything.  
  
"Are you excited?" I asked him. "To start your training?"  
  
"It'll be interesting," he replied. "Yeah, I'd say I'm excited." He kissed my forehead. "And I'll get to be with you."  
  
I smiled. "Yes, you will." We laid in silence and eventually drifted off to sleep.  
  
"Hey! Wake up, you guys!" With one eye open, I looked up in time to see Josef thump the wall and dart back into the hall. Geith sat up and rubbed his eyes.  
  
"Hey, we're here." I said, taking his arm.  
  
The Chu'unthor was waiting for us in orbit. Cram docked the Cloak and Dagger, and as the cloakers were being unloaded, we said our good-byes.  
  
I embraced Josef tightly. "Thank you for everything, Josef. You saved us."  
  
He squeezed me tighter. "Anytime, Callie," he said. He gave me a wry smile. "Stay in trouble, okay?"  
  
I smiled and stepped back. "You're going to be a bad influence on me, little brother."  
  
"Me?" he joked incredulously. "Who inspired whom to run away from home?"  
  
I looked down at his hands in mine. "Seriously, though, be careful. Whoever was looking for us will probably be looking for you, too. Watch your back."  
  
Josef's face was grim as he reassured me. "Don't worry, Callie. We'll be careful."  
  
I nodded and hugged him again, this time kissing his cheek also. "I love you," I said.  
  
"Love you, too," then quieter, "Long live the Jedi."  
  
"Josef!" Cram yelled. "Let's get out of here!"  
  
Josef looked at me and nodded. "On my way!" He called.  
  
Geith walked over and put his arm around my waist. "Hey," he said, sticking his other hand out for Josef. "Clear skies, man."  
  
"Hey, you too." He winked. "Take care of my sister. She's a handful."  
  
I punched his arm. "Get out of here," I said with a laugh.  
  
He laughed, too. "Talk to you guys later!" he called with a wave as he ran towards the Dagger. Geith and I waved back until the ship had left the docking bay.  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
After Geith installed the cloakers, he threw himself entirely into the life of the Jedi. Every day he went to classes with the younger students, and every day I saw a new change in him, though the person I adored stayed the same. He seemed to latch on to empathy and telekinesis especially well. Every night, he and I met for dinner in the mess hall, and he'd tell excitedly about all he'd learned. He was like a convert to a new religion. "It's like everything makes sense all of a sudden," he told me. "The Force seems to explain everything.  
  
As Geith continued on his own path to enlightenment, I continued my training with Master Altis. After having been his padawan for a year, I was more his squire than his page. His lessons were taught by example, which was a lesson in itself—teaching me to read into everything. About two weeks after the Bespin incident, Master Altis decided I was ready to build my lightsaber.  
  
"The lightsaber is a Jedi personal test of skill and discipline," he said. "I'll point you in the right direction, but after that you're on your own." He took me to the weapons workshop, which was aisles and aisles of segrefated desks under a transparisteel dome that opened the entire room to the stars.  
  
"I've never seen this room before," I said, craning my neck for a better view of the nebula looming outside.  
  
"The lightsaber is an elegant, civilized weapon that rtequires dilligent practice to master. Each," he held up his own weapon, whose hilt bore a crosshatched grip incised with scrolling runes. "is as individual as the Jedi who weilds it. You will design your own, and it will be yours, and yours alone." He replaced the weapon at his belt, and led me to a row of bins. "Here, you will find all the components for your lightsaber, except for your focusing crystal. Those," he led me to a wide, flat drawer, which he opened to show me the neatly lined rows of uncut crystals of every color. "are right here."  
  
"Wow," I breathed. The gems sparkled against the black dropcloth that lined the drawer.  
  
"You can choose any one of these gems you wish, and you will cut it as these directions instrcut you." He handed me a datapad. "The rest you must discern on your own. It will take you many hours over many days, but you will have taken you largest step to becoming a Jedi Knight."  
  
I looked at all the gems in the drawer. There were so many to choose from. Some reminded me of the waters of my homeworld, so blue they were almost black. Others were silver like the stars. The most beautiful, though, was a brilliant topaz yellow. It looked like the stone had captured a ray of Chad's sunset. I picked up one of these and looked at it at eye level. "I choose this one," I said.  
  
"Lovely," Master Altis said. "I had a feeling you would."  
  
I spent hours, that first day, chipping and polishing my crystal. The facets had to be exact, the measurements precise, or the lightsaber wouldn't function properly. My eyes burned as hour upon hour passed. My back was sore from bening over the desk for so long. As I sat up and stretched, I chanced a glance at the chronometer. It was past 1900 hours.  
  
"Blast!" I muttered, remembering that I promised to meet Geith Geith for dinner at 1830. I scooped the pieces into a bin and threw it into a cubby, activating the Force-signature lock.  
  
By the time I reached the mess hall, I was an hour late. I looked around the milling students and finally located Geith sitting against the wall. He looked and saw me, so he smiled and waved. "I'm so sorry," I said, dropping beside him and kissing him. "I lost track of time.  
  
"I had no idea little pieces of metal could be so fascinating," he said. I smiled and curled under his arm.  
  
"Have you heard from Cram or Josef?"  
  
Geith shook his head. "No, actually. I haven't."  
  
"Hmm. Do you think they're doing okay? I mean, you don't think anyone went after them, do you?"  
  
"No, I really doubt it," Geith said with a laugh. "If I know Cram, they've erased all trace of themselves and're on the other side of the galaxy. We probably won't hear from them in for a while. Don't worry so much, Callie." He picked up a bread wafer and stirred it through his soup. "Try this," he said. "It's really good." He held the wafer in front of my mouth.  
  
I shook my head. "I'm not hungry," I said, pushing his hand away.  
  
"You okay?" he asked.  
  
Before I answered, everything tore away to a new scene. I was sitting in shadows, with blue-black mist curling around me. Everything was quiet, but the underlying humming told me I was on a ship. I stood shakily, keeping one hand against the wall. I knew where I was.  
  
The Cloak and Dagger.  
  
Even as I realized it, a loud succession of explosions rocked the ship from beneath my feet. I grabbed a hold of the railing to steady myself. Bending over the railing, I saw figures moving through the smoke below me. Two of the figures were crouched behind an overturned table. Motionless bodies were strewn around them.  
  
Cram and Josef.  
  
Suddenly I was standing in front of them, surrounded by blaster bolts. I saw the fear on their faces, the surprise that they'd been caught. Then Cram took a shot in the chest and went down with a cry of pain. Josef turned briefly to stare in dismay at his fallen friend. "Cram!" he screamed. It was the first time I'd ever seen Josef genuinely afraid for his life. Seething, he turned back to his assailants behind me and stood up, picking up Cram's blaster and firing both of them desperately.  
  
But for every shot he fired, three more were returned. One found his side with hurling power.  
  
"Josef!" My mouth formed his name, but my voice failed.  
  
Josef cried out and collapsed over Cram's body. Grunting in pain, he forced himself up and reached for his blaster. He was on his knees, then his feet. Weakly, he raised his blaster and fired repeatedly.  
  
"Long live the Jedi!" He shouted on his last breath. Blaster bolts struck him in the chest, shoulders, stomach…  
  
"No!" I screamed and sat up in bed.  
  
Breathing heavily, I looked around to reassure myself that it had been just a dream.  
  
Kasidy had told me that Jedi had certain strengths, and as hers had been empathy and projection, mine were telekinesis and prescience. I shuddered, hoping that it had not been a vision.  
  
But two weeks later, as I was building the casing for my lightsaber, Geith came into the workshop. He touched my shoulder, startling me. I jumped and turned around. When I saw his face, I breathed in relief and smiled. "Oh, Geith…you—"  
  
He didn't apologize for frightening me, instead he took me by the arm and helped me to my feet. "Callie, I—I need to talk to you."  
  
I looked up at him. "What?"  
  
His face was ruddy and his cheeks were wet.  
  
"Geith, what is it?"  
  
He led me into the hall. "Cram—Cram's wife called me this morning. She got…the log from the Cloak and Dagger. There was a message from Cram." He choked. "They were attacked, and…the entire crew was killed."  
  
Heat wrapped around my head. It hadn't been a dream.  
  
Josef was dead.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Callie…" Geith offered, gently wrapping his arms around me, and I, numb and motionless, let him.  
  
There is no death, there is the Force…  
  
"I already told Master Altis. He thinks you should go home and tell your father."  
  
"My father and I don't speak anymore, you know that," I told him huskily, trying to keep my voice level.  
  
Geith nodded. "I know. But would you want to live your life not knowing if your child is alive or dead?"  
  
I hadn't been to Chad in 18 months, and from space nothing seemed to have changed. Through the atmosphere, though, I knew I would feel like a stranger, a visitor. To keep my mind off it, I spent the entire time in the cabin, finishing my lightsaber. Geith had given me a few pieces of bronze to decorate my hilt, like Kasidy's lightsaber. I spent hours cutting the little pieces into the shapes of the tsaelke like my uncle used to keep. They represented what had begun my journey into the life of the Jedi.  
  
"You okay?" Geith asked from the door of the cabin. I looked up at him and forced a smile.  
  
"I'm fine," I said. All things considered, I was. Josef's death saddened me, by seeing it for myself told me he'd accepted death himself and died nobly. I was willing to bet that whoever had killed him had been hired by the same person who'd hired Evin.  
  
"We're in the atmosphere. You wanna come sit up front?" He jerked a thumb over his shoulder.  
  
"Oh…uh, sure." He took my hand and we walked to the cockpit.  
  
"So, where is this ark of yours?" Geith asked.  
  
I leaned forward and activated the com, punching in my uncle's code. "I don't know," I said as the connection went through. "They could be anywhere."  
  
"Hello?" Uncle Claine answered on the other end.  
  
"Uncle Claine," I said, my heart pounding. "Um…it's me."  
  
"Callista?" he said my name is if he couldn't belive it was really me. "Oh, my dear niece! It's so wonderful to hear your voice again! Are you onplanet?"  
  
"Uh, yes," I said. "Is my father still living with you?"  
  
Claine sighed. "Yes. He is."  
  
"Can you send me coordinates of your location? I have to come and see you both."  
  
"Yeah, just a minute."  
  
As he pulled up the coordinates, I asked, "Claine, how is he?"  
  
For a moment I wasn't sure he heard me. Then he said. "He's very changed, Callista. Josef left a few months after you did, and Anela after that, because he was so changed." He didn't give me any other details. "Okay, here you go."  
  
"Got 'em," Geith said. "We can be there in ten minutes."  
  
"We're on our way, Uncle Claine," I said.  
  
"See you soon, Callista."  
  
Claine's ark was anchored near the border of the Arctic Cirlce. Geith set the ship down on the deck and powered down. Then he looked at me. "Are you ready?"  
  
I took his hand as I stood. "Let's go."  
  
We walked together down the ramp. Uncle Claine ran out to meet us. I let go of Geith's hand and hugged my uncle tightly.  
  
"This is a gift from the gods," he said. "Seeing you will brighten your father's spirits."  
  
"I wish that was why I came," I said. "But I have some bad news."  
  
Claine's face fell. "What is it?" he demanded.  
  
I bit my lip. "Id rather tell you both together, if that's okay."  
  
Claine nodded and gestured for us to follow him. Geith slipped his hand back into mine.  
  
"Oh," I said, stopping short again and touching my forehead. "Um, Uncle Claine, this is…my boyfriend, Geith. Geith, this is my Uncle Claine."  
  
The two men shook hands. I noticed Uncle Claine's demeanor shift from concern to appraisal. "Let's go. We don't want to keep your father waiting."  
  
  
  
Since I'd left, the ark had grown more cluttered, and now it hardly looked like my home of ten years. The rooms were dark, but the darkness appearled like deep indigo in the dusk. Claine led us into my father's office, as dark as the rest of the ark.  
  
"Brigam?" he called as he turned on the glowpanels. "Someone's here to see you."  
  
A groan emanated from the chair facing the wall. "Not now," my father's voice slurred. "I'm busy."  
  
I looked at Claine, then walked around the desk an dknelt in front of my father. He looked terrible—unshaven, with dark circles under his eyes. He was clearly drunk. I'd never seen him drunk. "Papa, it's me," I said.  
  
He looked down at me. "Callista…oh," he let the bottle drop from his hand. "I told you…I told you…"  
  
"I know," I said. "I know." I stood up, taking the bottle. "Claine, Geith, help me get him to bed. He needs to sleep this off."  
  
The three of us lifted Papa to his feet and guided him to his bedroom. He was asleep by the time we laid him down.  
  
"Better throw away the rest of it," I said. "Claine, why'd you let him do this?"  
  
"He needed something. The man's entire life fell apart before his eyes. I didn't—"  
  
"Come on, Claine. Help us out." I shut the path of conversation and dumped the bottle out the window. "His head needs to be clear in the morning."  
  
"Why?" Claine asked. "What terrible news is this?"  
  
I sighed. "Josef is dead. His ship was attacked and they murdered the entire crew." I put a hand on Claine's arm and embraced him, and act not well-rehearsed between us.  
  
Claine shuddered. "Are you all right?"  
  
I nodded. "I'm okay."  
  
"Do you know who did it?"  
  
"I have an idea," I said.  
  
Claine sighed, and tried to collect himself. "Um, uh…are either of you h-hungry? I could make you something t-to eat."  
  
"I'm a little hungry," Geith said. He turned to me. "You?"  
  
I shook my head. "No, I'm okay. You go ahead, though."  
  
"Okay." He kissed me.  
  
"Good night," I said, and retired to my old bedroom.  
  
Everything was kept the way I'd left it. All the clothes I'd left behind still hung in my closet, the holos still sat on my dresser, my favorite stuffed wookiee sat on the corner of my bed. Jeebie was sprawled on my pillow. He looked up when I opened my door, his tail wagging. He barked and jumped off the bed.  
  
"Jeebie!" I picked him up and hugged him. "I missed you, boy!" I carried him back to the bed and laid down. Stroking his downy fur evoked emotions in me. My tears flowed easily, released. "It's good to be home," I said.  
  
"Callista?"  
  
I looked up. Papa was standing in my doorway. I sat up carefully. "Come in."  
  
He walked in and sat down at my desk. We sat across from each other in uncomfortable silence.  
  
"Is that your lightsaber?" he asked.  
  
I unclipped the finished weapon and twirled the hilt on my fingers. "Yeah."  
  
He nodded. "You've learned a lot," he said.  
  
"I have." He sounded entirely sober. I was amazed.  
  
"Why are you here, Callista?" he said. "I told you not to come back." His hands were shaking.  
  
"I had to come," I said. "Things have happened. Things I couldn't tell you any other way but in person."  
  
"Who is that boy?" he asked. "A boyfriend?"  
  
I sighed and nodded. "Yes."  
  
Papa growled. "Make sure he takes care of you," he said, almost allowing.  
  
I nodded. "He does."  
  
"I knew you were coming," he said suddenly.  
  
"How?" I said with a frown, playing along with his drunken ramblings. "Who told you?"  
  
"He said he was a friend He said you sen thim ahead to let me know."  
  
A pit dropped into my stomach. "Who."  
  
He tried hard to remember, his brow crunched together in concentration. "I can't—I forget his name. Blond boy. Well dressed…are you marrying him?"  
  
I tried to control my shaking. I licked my lips and shook my head. "No. No, Papa, I'm not." Suddenly, Jeebie jumped up and growled. His ears flattened against his head and the feathers on the ruff of his neck bristled. I stood up. "You need to sleep, Papa, come on. I'll help you to bed." My heart was racing. Evin had followed me and Geith here. How he had beat us to the ranch was irrelevent. What was important was that my family was in danger. I clipped my lightsaber to my belt as I guided Papa back to his bedroom.  
  
"Geith," I whispered loudly. "Geith!"  
  
"Quiet!" Papa growled and collapsed on his bed.  
  
"Sorry, Papa," I said, heaving his legs up off the floor. "Papa, listen to me. I want you to stay here. No matter what you hear, do not leave this room.  
  
"I won't if you won't," another voice said. "I grabbed my lightsabert and swung around, but I ended up flat on the floor when a fist collided with my jaw. Then it grabbed my shirt and lifted me back up to my feet.  
  
"We meet again, Jedi whore," Evin said.  
  
"What—"Papa slurred dazedly.  
  
"Shut up, old man," Evin spat. "You're next."  
  
"Leave him alone, Evin," I said. "He isn't a Jedi."  
  
Evin sneered. "He brought you into existance. That's enough."  
  
My mind was reeling. In my current situation there was very little I could do to save myself or my father. My lightsaber had been knocked underneath Papa's bed when Evin had hit me. Papa was struggling drunkenly to stand, but Evin kicked him and he dropped down, unconscious.  
  
I winced, hearing his jaw crack. "You're making a big mistake, Evin," I said. "Geith and my uncle are in the next room. If they hear anything—"  
  
"They'll come running?" Evin said loudly with a barking laugh. "Yes, yes, I suppose they would, but they're a bit…tied up." He kicked open Papa's closet, where Geith and Claine were slumped on the floor, tied back to back. Tiny glints of tranquilizer darts poked out of their necks.  
  
Evin chuckled. "I've always loved those corny power-trip lines." He pinched the side of my neck, my vulnerable pressure point, and I must have poassed out, because the next thing I knew, I was tied to Geith and Claine. 


	9. The Call of Thunder

Mergirl: Callista's Story  
  
by Ambassador Cara Jade  
  
Part 9: The Call of Thunder  
  
  
  
"Callie, are you okay?" Geith asked.  
  
I groaned, tried my legs. They were bound together with engine tape. "Where's Evin?"  
  
"Ah, awake are you?" Evin sauntered over and knelt in front of me, with his knees on either side of my legs. "The welcoming party has already been arranged. We'll be there tomorrow, and you'll be dead.  
  
But I'd tuned him out by the time he'd said 'party.' My lightsaber, fortunately was still under my father's bed. I summoned the Force and lifted it off the floor. As Evin was talking, I carried it over and let it hover behid his back.  
  
"—aren't you looking at me?!" Evin shouted. He saw me staring over his shoulder and turned around. I hastily activated it but he rolled away. Growling, I reached out with my bound hands and grabbed it, cutting my legs free and standing up. Evin fired his blaster at me. In the flow of the Force the bolts moved slowly enough for me to deflect them.  
  
"Callista!" Geith yelled from the closet. His voice startled me and broke my concentration. Evin found the hole in my focus and fired.  
  
"Ah!" I screamed when the bolt buried itself into my shoulder. The power of it knocked me back against the wall.  
  
"Damn it, Evin!" Geith shouted. "You're dead! I'll kill you!"  
  
"Doesn't your new religion discourage revenge?" Evin said blandly. He knelt in front of me and held me down. "Anyway, he wants Jedi like this alive."  
  
I took a deep breath, smoothing the Force over my wound like a balm. "Who?"  
  
Evin wagged his finger at me. "Ah, ah, ah. Can't spoil the surprise."  
  
A slight movement behind him caught my eye. Papa. Papa had crept up behind Evin. He had a bottle in his hand.  
  
Shattering glass, spraying liquid, and then Evin's unconscious head in my lap. After a moment, everything resumed movement. Papa lifted Evin off of me and too his place in front of me.  
  
"Are you all right?" he asked as he reipped the engine tape from my wrists. He checked my shoulder. My burned flesh stunk in my nostrils as he touched it gingerly.  
  
"I'm fine. Geith—"  
  
"Behind you!" Claine cried, too late, and Papa grunted in pain. Evin laughed and stood up, ripping his dagger from Papa's back.  
  
"No!" I cried and lurched to my feet. I tackled Evin and yanked the knife from his hand. Without even thinking, I plunged the blade through his throat. His eyes widened, his fingers slackened on my own throat. I held him firmly, almost gently, until he was still and dead.  
  
"Papa…papa," I whispered, kneeling next to him and sliding my hands beneath his shoulders. They slipped on his blood-soaked tunic. "Oh," I breathed.  
  
I grabbed Evin's knift again and used it to cut Geith and Claine free. "Get the medkit. Call a medic. Something!" I cried. Claine got up and staggered out of the room. "Hurry!" I called after him.  
  
Papa's eyes were fading in and out of focus, dilating in and out. "Lissy…" he muttered.  
  
"I'm here, Papa." I held his hand, reaching through the Force to stay his blood. I suddenly had an image of Momma in this same position twelve years ago. "It's okay. You're going to be okay."  
  
"No," he muttered. Lissy, listen to me." He squeezed his eyes shut. "I was wrong. I never should have—ahhh!"  
  
"Shhhh…don't talk. It's okay. I understand.  
  
"I love you, Lissy. I always have. I didn't show it, but I did."  
  
I sniffed, swallowed. "Stop it, Papa."  
  
"He shook his head. "I'm proud of you, Lissy. My angel."  
  
I felt a stirring in the Force, a ripple as two levels merged. I looked up and saw Josef standing a few feet away. He was looking at Papa.  
  
"Josef's here," I said. "Look."  
  
As Papa turned his head, his last breath escaped. I looked up again in time to see two figures fade out of sight.  
  
When Momma died in my arms, I had thrown her to the floor in fear. But many people I'd known had died since then. I wasn't afraid. I cradled Papa's body close to me. "I'm sorry, Papa…I'm so sorry."  
  
The room returned to my awareness. Claine stood in the doorway, the medkit useless in his hands. Geith knelt behind me, afraid to touch me. Finally, he took my arm. "Callie," he said gently.  
  
"You need to get out of here," Claine said. "No doubt he's isn't working alone."  
  
"Claine—" I started to protest.  
  
"Don't argue, Callista. Just go!"  
  
"They'll kill you!"  
  
"I'll handle it. Don't worry about me. I'll contact you soon, okay? If you haven't heard form me in a month, I'm dead. Do you understand?"  
  
I sighed resignedly. "Yes." I threw my arms around him, ignoring my wounded shoulder. "I'm sorry about all this, Claine." I said. "I didn't want this to happen."  
  
"I know, I know," he said. He wiped my eyes. "Now go. We'll meet again."  
  
"Evin? Evin! Come on, man. Pick up! Are you there?" a new voice crackled from Evin's comm. I walked over and stamped on it, crushing it under the heel of my boot. I turned back to Geith and Claine. "Help me carry Papa's body. Claine, you're coming with us."  
  
We carried Papa's body to the shuttle. As we were lifting off, Geith pointed out the viewport. "Another ship." He squinted. "Damn. It's Evin's people."  
  
"How do you know?" Claine asked.  
  
Geith gunned the engines. "I sold him that ship."  
  
Jeebie whined in my lap and buried his muzzle beneath his paws. I installed the weapons on that ship," I said.  
  
Geith nodded. He accellerated the shiop up into the sky, keeping the lights out to hide us from the Jedi hunters.  
  
But it wasn't enough.  
  
"They've got a lock on us!" Geith snarled. He swung around and fired the turbolasers. At the same time, they fired on us, rocking the ship.  
  
"What kind of guns did you put in that thing?"  
  
Another shot hit our shields, sending Jeebie across the cabin with a yelp.  
  
"Big ones," Geith replied. He negotiated a ninety-degree turn upwards out of the shuttle, firing the back lasers. "But one more shot should—"  
  
He scored a shot to the cockpit, and our pursuer exploded.  
  
"Yes!" Geith pounded the console. "Looks like we're clear," he said.  
  
I nodded. "Claine, we're going to take you to Coruscant. You'll be sage there."  
  
"And…why, exatcly, are we doing this? Who's the guy you killed?"  
  
I took a deep breath. "Someone has hired bounty hunters to kill Jedi. That man—"  
  
"—a former friend of mine—" Geith added.  
  
"—is one of those bounty hunters. He's been tracking us for almost two months now. He killed Josef, too. If word gets out—and believe me, it will—more bounty hunters will be looking for us, and you, too. There are enough people on Coruscant for you to disappear."  
  
"Take an alias, though, just to be careful," Geith added.  
  
I stroked Jeebie's fur silently, thinking about Papa. He was dead; I was an orphan.  
  
You were an orphan a long time ago…  
  
Oh, don't be brainless. Of course you weren't.  
  
Abruptly, I stood and walked out of the cockpit, leaving Jeebie on my chair. I felt Geith and Claine's eyes on me, but I didn't really care. I walked to the cabin, where we'd laid Papa's bosy.  
  
He lay on the bed, shrouded in a sheet, the blanket stirring around him like breaking waves. I sat beside him carefully, as if he was sleeping and I didn't want to wake him. I knew I couldn't.  
  
I unwrapped the shroud from around his head and looked at his face. Every scar, every wrinkle, every line was clear on his white face. I traced my fingers over each one. Physical contact between us brought new tears to my eyes.  
  
"Callie."  
  
I turned around, wiping my eyes. Geith stood in the doorway, his hand on the jamb. He came in and sat behind me. "I'm sorry," he said, wrapping me up in a comforting embrace.  
  
"I didn't want this to happen," I said. "He didn't—he didn't have to…"  
  
"Shhhh…" Geith turned me around, pulling me onto his lap and hugging me fiercely. "What's done is done. You resolved everything with him. He knows you love him."  
  
I pulled away and looked at Papa. Tucking stray hairs behind my ear, I leaned down and kissed his cheek. "Good-bye, Papa."  
  
Geith squeezed my hand. "Let's get him to the airlock."  
  
Ten minutes later, I stood with Geith and Claine, looking out the viewport as vaccuum carried my father's body away forever. Claine turned away and turned on the holonet. Chancellor Palpatine was speaking.  
  
"These Jedi Knights are very powerful, very influential…and very dangerous."  
  
"Geith! Callista!" Claine called us over.  
  
"People of the Republic, I assure you that you are in no danger. I have specially trained operatives in all corners of the galaxy, searching for these menaces. However, they cannot do it alone. They need your help. If you have any information regarding any Jedi Knight, Jedi Master, even someone who makes an arbitrary prediction that comes true, let us know." Palpatine dipped his head. "These fanatics are a menace, and must be exterminated—"  
  
Claine turned it off. Silence.  
  
"Chancellor Palpatine," Geith said.  
  
I nodded, remembering one single word spoken two months earlier. I spoke it out loud, confirming it. "Chan."  
  
  
  
Palpatine had thrown the galaxy into chaos. As his clone armies marched over his realm during the Clone Wars, more still hunted the Jedi like animals. Everyone they found was savagely, brutally murdered. The murders that had been going on for over two years, beginning with Kasidy and Zara, exploded exponentially now that they didn't have to be done covertly. Every week, we heard news of new deaths, every week our numbers grew fewer. Because we had our cloaking devices and could not be found, we took on thousands of refugees. A few months after Palpatine's address, the Masters of the Chu'unthor called for volunteers to help smuggle refugees to our ship. Geith, Soonta and I were among the first to volunteer. We travelled the galaxy, searching for survivors. I was shocked at the number of children we found: toddlers crying for their parents who would never hold them again, babies who, by their gifts knew something was wrong but didn't exactly know what.  
  
After six months the Chu'unthor was full, and it was clear that we couldn't keep everyone in the stars. We started a project to hide the Jedi in pockets throughout the galaxy. There were some planets that still sympathized with the Jedi: Corellia, Alderaan, Chandrila, and a handful of others. After clandestine negotiatons with the leaders of each planet, hidden bunkers were erected in the wild, unexplored forests, under seas.  
  
I had left home to live the exciting and adventurous life that that life would become what it had, or that I wouldn't be afraid to continue living this way.  
  
The project consumed my time. Geith and I saw little of each other. We were separated for weeks at a time, but no matter what he was doing, Geith always found time to call me every night.  
  
Now Geith was staying at the Corellian bunker. Papa had been dead for a year and a half, and I'd been running refugees for about two-thirds that. I was flying with Jana Coquet, an old friend, and now Soont'as girlfriend. We were carrying nine young children from Ord Mantell, all under ten years old. Most of their parents were still alive, but they'd sent them away to protect them. Only two of the children had lost their parents—a six-year-old girl and her baby sister, not even a year. Reports had said that their mother, a non-Jedi, had betrayed her husband to Palpatine's genocide armies. In the crossfire that followed, their parents had killed each other. The older sister had carried the baby out the nursery window and disappeared, until we found them trembling in a neighbor's deserted garage.  
  
"We're coming up on the sentries," Jana reported. As if I needed verification, the com surged to life.  
  
"Unidentified shuttle state your business."  
  
"This is ST-179, rewuesting landing clearance," I replied.  
  
"179, what is your cargo?"  
  
"Schoolkids coming off of vacation." The phrase was code, a password. Even if the sentry was a spy, he'd never know that his quarry was passing him by. Still, just as every time before, trepidation iced my stomach as my imagination got the better of me.  
  
"Clearance granted, 179. Follow your present course."  
  
Jana breathed as I switched off the comm and sat back. "Easy riding from here," I said.  
  
Jana reached into a sealed console and produced our radio. It had a sirect connection to the bunker. She pressed a button and spoke. "Home one, this is Prodigal Daughter on our way in, cargo of nine, over."  
  
Crackle. "Copy that, Daughter. We look forward to seeing you, over."  
  
"Copy that. Out."  
  
"Have you talked to Soonta?" I asked.  
  
"Last week," she said. "He should still be here." Her blue eyes sparkled at the thought of seeing her lover, and I knew the same look was mirrored in my eyes.  
  
It had been a months since I last saw Geith. I was itching to touch him, to kiss him again.  
  
We touched down in the bunker and powered down. Jana keyed the hatch open as I went to the hold to get the kids. They were sitting quiely against the walls, and only looked up when I walked in. The two little orphan girls sat closest to the doors, the elder cradling the baby as she slept. The sight of all of them together, all the innocence lost because of our folly…none of it was their fault, and yet they suffered.  
  
I shook myself. I couldn't let my emotions show. That would only frighten them more. "We're here," I said. "Everyone follow me."  
  
Outside, Jana and Soonta were already busy greeting each other. I looked around expectantly, but Geith was no-where to be seen. My heart sank. Soonta walked over, arm in arm with Jana. He smiled his white teeth and hugged me. "It is a gift to see you well," he said.  
  
"And you, as well," I replied. "Is Geith here?"  
  
Soonta shook his head. "Sadly, no. He was called on a top secret mission. He left this morning." My face must have fallen significantly, because he added, "He did ask me to give you this, though. He handed me a tri-folded piece of flimsi. I looked at Geith's handwriting, spelling my name on the outside, then stuffed it in my back pocket.  
  
"Uh, thanks," I said.  
  
Even before they'd arrived, a place had been made for the children. Their beds wee set up and ready, and probisions had been made for their training. Soonta and Jana and I reported their arrival to the Master in charge, Nia Freu. After that, I retired to a pilot's cabin and pulled Geith's letter out of my pocket. His writing was small, square, in green ink:  
  
My dearest Callista,  
  
I am so sorry that I'm not there to greet you in person. I'm sure Soonta told you that Master Altis called me to join him on a very important mission, one so secret I can't tell even you. Where we'll be going there is no possibility of radio contact, so you won't hear from me for several weeks. Don't worry, though. I'll be back as soon as I can. I miss you terribly—sleeping alone reminds me of life before I met you. I'll see you soon.  
  
  
  
  
  
All my love,  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
I quietly folded the letter back and sighed. "A few more weeks," I repeated. Weeks were so long. I laid down on my bunk and stretched my legs, exhausted. I would stay here a while, I thought. A few days. At least until those new kids were settled. It was safe here. The chaotic universe circled around this calm, peaceful eye.  
  
The rhythm of the storm lulled me to sleep.  
  
But before dreams had a chance to take hold, screeching alarms woke me. I sat bolt upright, instinctively reaching for the lightsaber at my hip.  
  
ATTENTION: ENEMY SHIPS HAVE BEEN SEEN APPROACHING FROM THE SOUTH. ALL KNIGHTS REPORT TO CENTRAL FOR DEFENSE LAYOUT. CODE RED; REPEAT, CODE RED!  
  
I swung my legs over the side and sprinted to the Control Center.  
  
The hallways were bathed with blood red light. The children were sticking their heads curiously out the doors, their eyes wild and wide with fear.  
  
"Get back in your rooms!" I yelled as I ran past them. Doors slammed shut in rapid succession. An explosion racked the hall, slamming me against the wall.  
  
"Callista!" a voice called through the coiling smoke. It was Soonta. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me with him. "Master Freu needs us in the docking bay!"  
  
As we ran, I shouted to him, "How did they find us?"  
  
"I don't know!" he yelled. By the time we reached the bay, the battle had already begun. Clone soldiers advanced steadily, firing blasters on the Jedi defenders. In spite of the disconcerting Force signature of the clones, the defenders were holding their own.  
  
Soonta narrowed his eyes and scanned the battles, then he pointed. "There," he said. "The defense is weakening."  
  
We ran to the other end of the hangar, where the concentration of clones was overpowering the Jedi defenders—which included Soonta's fiancee. I sprang to the wing of the a fighter and leapt off of it, flipping once and landing in the midst of the soldiers. One swing of my lightsaber took out three of them. A roundhouse kick dispatched another. Jana, not yet a full Jedi, didn't have a lightsaber. She was an expert of hand-to-hand combat, though. Ilios had taught her, too. She was better, now, than Ilios ever was. Out of the corner of my eye, I could see her leaping high in the air and kicking, twirling, punching. Soonta was fully grounded, using his lightsaber like the master of the weapon that he was.  
  
Still the clones pressed on. Around us, Jedi fell. There were too many of them, and ultimately, we were forced to retreat. Jana, Soonta and I ran towards the nurseries to help evacuate the children. Explosions rocked the tunnels. The walls quaked and crumbled with the impacts. Jana tripped and fell, but Soonta dragged her to her feet.  
  
"Keep going!" I yelled, deflecting a shot over my shoulder.  
  
Finally, we reached the nursery.  
  
But we were ot the first.  
  
A blaster bolt scorched past Jana's ear. She screamed and Soonta hauled her back. We barricaded ourselves behind a twisted slag of metal that used to be a blast door.  
  
"We've got to get in there!" Soonta yelled. We huddled down farther. The blasts stopped.  
  
"Jedi!" The clone yelled. "Jedi whore! Show yourself!"  
  
Jana drew a shuddering breath. "They didn't see either of you, did they?"  
  
Soonta knew what she was thinking right away. "Jana, no—"  
  
Jana grasped my hand. "Keep him here. Hold him back."  
  
I nodded, my stomach fluttering. Jana was sacrificing herself. "I will."  
  
Jana nodded. "There are some children still alive in there. Feel them?"  
  
"Yes," I said.  
  
"Get them. I'll hold the soldiers off."  
  
"Jana, Jana, please! Don't do—" Soonta reached for her.  
  
Jana shushed him, put a finger on his lips. "It's all right. Don't worry.  
  
"Jedi!"  
  
Jana stood up, put her hands up. "Okay!" she said. I'm unarmed! I'm alone! I surrender!" She screamed as the soldier threw her to the ground.  
  
Soonta winced. I put an arm around him. He squeezed my hands.  
  
"Please…" Jana pleaded. "Don't—"  
  
"The other bases!" he demanded. "Where are they?"  
  
"I don't know! I don't know!" She was crying. I didn't think she was acting anymore. I could feel her manipulating the Force, knew she'd succeeded when I heard the soldier's cries of surprises that ended when he slammed heavily against the stone walls.  
  
"Come on!" she yelled. "Go! Go!"  
  
Soonta and I bolted for the nursery. Inside, it was just as Jana said. Most of the babies were dead, murdered in horrific ways that would haunt my dreams forever. But a few were still a live—including the baby orphan I'd just brought. "Let's get them out of here," I said, lifting the baby up. As we turned to escape we stopped short.  
  
The soldier was on his feet, his blaster pointed at the three of us.  
  
Then he fired.  
  
His shot hit Jana in her chest and she crumbled to the floor, dropping the dead baby she was holding.  
  
"NO!" Soonta screamed, stretching out his hand. The blaster flew from the soldier's hand and into Soonta's. He fired one killing shot into the soldier's face. Then he sank to the ground and crawled to Jana's body. Weeping, he picked her up and cradled her, rocking her back and forth.  
  
Solemnly, I closed the nursery door and sealed it. Throughout the bunker, I felt clones and Jedi dying. I knew we had lost the battle. 


	10. Ray of Light

Mergirl: Callista's Story  
  
by Ambassador Cara Jade  
  
Part 10: Ray of Light  
  
  
  
No one found us. The clones fell back after they'd done significant damage to the bunker. After the battle died down, few were left alive.  
  
I sat against the wall, cradling the baby in my arms. Soonta had fallen asleep on my shoulder hours ago, still cradling Jana's corpse. We waited in silence until the door opened. I tensed, grabbed the dead soldier's blaster.  
  
But it was a Jedi. He sighed with relief. "I was beginning to think we'd found all the survivors," he said.  
  
I set the blaster down and gently touched Soonta's face to wake him. He sat up and blinked several times. "How many survivors are there?" I asked.  
  
"Twenty-seven, including the three of you," the Jedi said gently, offering his hand. "Can you stand?"  
  
I nodded and accepted his hand.  
  
"How many of the survivors are children?" Soonta sked huskily.  
  
"Twenty, or less."  
  
I sighed. There had been fifty knights here, and almost two hundred children. Both of those had congealed into one small number—27. The baby stirred and woke up. She began to cry. I gently stroked her fuzzy head and shushed her. "It's okay, honey, it's okay."  
  
Soonta stood up and gently lifted Jana like a child. His step faltered. I reached out to steady him, and we walked out into the corridor.  
  
The air was heavy, and stank of death. Everything was still, quiet. "Where is everyone?" I asked.  
  
"Outside. We're still collecting bodies."  
  
Looking around, I saw all the debris, the havoc wreaked by Palpatine's forces. I shut my eyes. It was too painful to see.  
  
The survivors had relocated to nearby caves, huddling close together in small groups. Healers moved among the wounded, comforting the dying. I led Soonta to one of the caves, where he laid out Jana's body and sat beside her. "Will you be all right?" I asked, and he nodded.  
  
"I'm going to help them find the rest of the bodies," I told him, standing up. "If you need anything, just call me."  
  
Soonta nodded stonily. "Thank you, Callista," he said.  
  
I squeezed his shoulder and walked out of the cave. In the sunlight, the air was fresh, clear. Alkali sunglight beat down on our backs like the hands of our oppressors. I walked down the hillside, the dust browning my boots.  
  
Among the dead were Master Freu and the six-year-old girl whose sister I'd saved. That baby was the only baby who had survived. We dug through the debris for hours, pausing whenever a body was found. The bodies were put in a cave—a tomb, a sepulchre.  
  
The next day, all the bodies had been accounted for. We arranged them carefully in the cave, side by side. Soonta laid Jana on a natural bier against the wall. He stroked her face one last time and kissed her cold lips. Contact made him break down again. His legs weakened and he fell to his knees, sobbing. I wrapped my arms around his shouders.  
  
"She's one with the Force, Soonta," I said. "She's free now."  
  
I guided Soonta out of the tomb. When we reached the sunlight, he shook me off gently. I'm all right," he said. "I'm okay." He stood up straight and walked away.  
  
Before I followed him, I turned back to the tomb and let my eyes rove the bodies inside. I was stunned, inwardly. One man had sowed the seeds of discontent, and what had grown was a vile weed that choked the beautiful tree that had once been the Republic. The Emperor feared his own safety so greatly that he would kill children to secure his power. I'd known as a rule that Palpatine was corrupt, but the reality of it didn't strike me so hard before that moment, staring at the burned and mutilated bodies of the children.  
  
I wiped two tears off my cheek and helped three other knights roll the sealing stone into place.  
  
Later that night, Soonta and I sat across a small campfire, eating ration bars. They were bland and tasteless, but neither of us seemed to care. Soonta was silent, throughtful, and mournful. I watched him through the flames as every second he was reminded that Jana was no linger with him. I wanted to comfort him, but his loss was different. For all the people I'd ever lost, I'd never had to experience the death of a lover. I couldn't give him anything more than the same platitudes I'd heard when my mother, my father, Kasidy, Ilios or Josef had died. Master Altis had always let me initiate conversation about them, telling me I could talk to him about them whenever I needed to. He never forced me; he knew eventually I could feel comfortable with it. That was all I could do for Soonta.  
  
I didn't have to wait long.  
  
"Jana and I were going to get married," he said. "We were planning on it, after this mission." He sighed and propped himself up against the wall. He stared up at the ceiling, at the black scorch mark the fire cultivated on the stone. "I knew her for…years. She came to the Chu'unthor around the same time I did, when we were little. I was a little older than her, of course. We wer always friends, you know?"  
  
I nodded, though I didn't really know.  
  
"When this all started, she wanted to do something. That's why she volunteered for this mission. We-we ran a lot of them together, and we grew very close." He sniffed, trying so hard to keep his wits. "She always made me feel better about everything," he said. "Whenever I started to falter, whenever I thought that the endeavor was hopeless, she'd always say, 'It may not happen in our time, or the time of our children, but the Jedi will return. No matter how far down we're beaten, we'll always come back, because we're good, and we protect the light, the truth. There will always be a need for us. They could kill me, they could kill you, but it doesn't matter. We will not be defeated.'"  
  
I nodded. "She was right," I said. Soonta looked at me heavily, his unusual eyes bloodshot.  
  
"I'll never stop loving her," he said. "She was the one, Callista. The one everyone spends their life looking for. You know what I'm talking about," he looked at me pointedly.  
  
I nodded, thinking of Geith. "I know."  
  
Soonta sighed and closed his eyes. "Get some sleep, Callista," he said. "The shuttle will be here tomorrow." He didn't say anything after that. I curled up in the dirt and closed my eyes.  
  
"Good night, Soonta," I said, knowing it wouldn't be.  
  
The harsh sun beat down on me at dawn, blinding me when I woke. I rubbed my eyes and sat up. The fire had gone out, and Soonta was gone. The caves bustled with activity—the children packing our remaining supplies, the healers preparing to move the wounded. I shook the dirt out of my hair and stoof up. The shuttle would be here soon. As I stuffed all my things into my knapsack. I heard a low hum that alerted me tot he approach of a shuttle. I looked up, straightened, shielded my eyes. A tiny black dot appeared above the horizon and grew rapidly. The boxy, heavy-looking ship touched down at the mouth of the canyon. I shouldered my knapsack and walked out to meet it with Soonta.  
  
The cockpit door opened and the pilot leapt out and started walking toward us. He pulled off his helmet and ruffled his spiky red hair.  
  
"Geith!" I cried, and bolted for him. He held his arms out to me and I jumped into them, hugging him tightly, grateful that he was here with me. He kissed me passionately, a welcome home from two months of prodigality.  
  
"I thought you were out on a mission," I said.  
  
"I couldn't stay away when I heard about the attack," he said. "Anyway, the mission was compromised. Someone found out we were there. I'm glad you're okay. I love you."  
  
"I love you, too," I replied. Hand in hand we trudged back to the caves to help load the shuttle. "Have you heard from Master Altis?" I asled.  
  
"Oh, yeah," Geith said, remembering. "He does need to talk to you."  
  
"What about?"  
  
Geith shrugged. "He didn't say."  
  
Soonta approached to help us. The two men clasped hands and Geith offered him words of comfort. I didn't hear what they were saying, but the look on Soonta's face told me that he was grateful for Geith's concern.  
  
From his hip, Geith's communication beeped. He unhooked it and listened. I came closer and wrapped my arms around him.  
  
"—enemy ships heading your way! Get everyone out of there!"  
  
"Copy. Out." Geith shut off the com. "Come on, everyone! We gotta move! Let's go!"  
  
We hauled the last of our supplies onto the ship, and helped the little children into the passenger area. Everything was loaded and sealed in less than ten minutes. We lifted off just as appraching enemy ships dotted the horizon.  
  
"They're coming," I said, slipping into the colpilot's seat. Geith's figners flew over the controls activating the shields and the turbolasers. The ships drew closer and closer. Geith was flying low to the gorund, making it easy for them to overtake us.  
  
"Geith, what are you doing?" I asked, sitting up straight, then falling back into my seat as we were fired upon.  
  
"Just wait," Geith replied distractedly. He let the other ships piggyback us for a few more moments, even though they kept shooting at us. "Building their confidence," he muttered. Suddenly he kicked off the throttle and went into reverse. The ships above us overshot him and continued on their course. By the time they'd circled around, Geith had risen higher off the gorund, above them. He fired two missiles, and each one found its target.  
  
They exploded in a glowing twin pyrotechnic display, expanding and ultimately dissipating.  
  
Geith whooped and as I did the same, I breathed a silent sigh of relief. I stood up and walked to the passenger lounge, running my hand through his hair as I passed him.  
  
In the lounge, I was greeted by 25 pairs of eyes. They were sitting on the floors, on the tables, leaning against the walls. Soonta rested his head against the viewport, searching for Jana among the stars. He didn't look up as I came in.  
  
"We've made it past the garrison," I said. "You're all going to stay with us for a while. We'll be at the Chu'unthor in a few hours."  
  
The orphan baby wailed in the arms of a very young padawan boy. He looked to me pathetically for help. I knelt beside him and took the baby in my hands and reached out to her through the Force. Inside her mind I saw images that constituted her memories. All blurry, unmoving—her parents, her sister, now all dead. My face, too, I think. Fire, screaming, nameless faces. I sensed her terror, burning in her tiny body. Taking a deep breathe, I reached out to soothe her. She quieted down and eventually fell asleep.  
  
I raised my head and looked at the Jedi around me. Most of the children were asleep, cradled by the knights and masters. Anybody left awake stared ahead blankly like Soonta, shell-shocked.  
  
  
  
Master Altis was waiting for us in the docking bay as we got off the shuttle. He smiled warmly at me. I smiled back; my first impulse was to run and throw my arms around him, but no. That wouldn't be appropriate, padawan to master. Instead, I bowed respectfully and clasped his large hand. "It is good to be with you again, Master," I said.  
  
He smiled and nodded once. "Your work to save the Jedi as consumed you," he noted. "Your absence has not gone unnoticed, nor have your honorable deeds."  
  
I smiled. "Thank you, Master."  
  
As the other masters led the rest of the refugees to their quarters, Master Altis took me aside in a different direction. "You wished to speak with me, Master?" I asked.  
  
He nodded. "Many things have happened while you've been travelling the galaxy. No doubt you've noticed."  
  
I nodded. "Yes, Master."  
  
"Master Yoda has been staying on the Chu'unthor, for the last few months. I've told him about you. And now that you're here, he'd like to see you."  
  
I stopped in my tracks and stared at him in disbelief. Master Yoda was one of the last living members of the Jedi Council. In the prime of the Order he had been one of the best Jedi Masters to ever live.  
  
And he wanted to talk to me.  
  
Master Altis looked at me with a knowing smile, then he started walking again. He didn't tell me anymore, and laughed as I asked him questions. Finally he said, "I suggest you clean up a little bit and then find out what he wants."  
  
I nodded, bowed slightly. "Yes, Master." Composing myself, I walked down the corridor to my quarters.  
  
"He didn't say what he wanted?"  
  
I climbed out of the shower and took the towel Geith offered me. I wrapped it around myself, and leaned close to the mirror. My reflection disappeared behind a layer of fog, which I hurriedly rubbed away.  
  
"No," I said. I plaited my wet hair in a long braid and threw it over my shoulder, then turned to face Geith. "And I don't want to say what I think it is, because I could be wrong."  
  
He sat back on the chair. "Aw, come one, tell me." He pleaded playfully.  
  
I put a finger on his lips and slid into his lap. "How about this," I said. "When I get back, I'll tell you if I was right or not."  
  
Geith grabbed my hand and used it to pull my mouth to his. "Okay," he said. His other hand snaked to pinch my thigh. I yelped and leapt up. "Get going, then!" he yelled, chasing me into the bedroom.  
  
Master Altis left me at the door. I passed through it, and it clsoed between us. Quiet, tinkling music wafted through the air like audible perfume. It immediately calmed me, soothed my ill-at-ease feelings. I took in my surroundings. Everything was miniaturized although there was little furnishing in the room.  
  
"Welcome you are, Callista Nogati."  
  
I followed the voice to a cushion at the end of the room. He sat there, chewing his gimer stick. He looked at me inquisitively, green eyes bright. I noticed how they seemed bluer a they grew wider. His poimted ears perked up when I looked at him. I knelt to one knee, as was proper. "Master Yoda," I said. "I am honored by your request to see me."  
  
Yoda waved a tiny clawed hand. "Honorable your deds have been. Saved many Jedi, you have." He leaned in close to me. "Commended, you must be."  
  
I smiled. "Thank you, Master."  
  
He nodded, then leaned back and focused on something distant, something far away. "Troubled times these are. Turning against us, the galaxy is."  
  
"But, won't the people fall into darkness without us to lead them?" The question had been burning inside me for months.  
  
"Hmm," he mused. "Condemn themselves they do, when against us the galaxy turns. Dark times, we are passing into. Soon, all will be gone." He looked at me. "Great your part is. An influence. Small, rippling out to accomplish great things. Seen this, I have."  
  
I took a deep, calming breath. "What have you seen?" I pressed.  
  
"Yoda shook his head. "Reveal I cannot, the things I have seen. But trust me, you can. Great things—in dark times, hope. Hope to the galaxy you will bring."  
  
I nodded. "Yes, Master."  
  
He looked at me, searching my soul. "Fear, you do?"  
  
I shook my head hastily. "No."  
  
He grunted, telling me he didn't believe my lie. I nodded obligingly.  
  
"Yes, Master, a little."  
  
He nodded approvingly. "Understandable, your fear is. But let it get the better of you you must not. Take care, Callista Galexi Nogati. Fail, you must not." He leaned close. "Do this, you can?"  
  
I nodded. I felt stronger, engergized. "Yes, Master Yoda, I can."  
  
His little face twisted into a smile. "Stand then, Jedi Knight."  
  
I stood, and my eyes widened. "What?"  
  
He nodded acquiescingly. "A Jedi Knight, you are."  
  
I alsmost smiled, but regained my composure and swallowed it. Instead, I nodded. "Thank you, Master."  
  
He wave a hand, motioning for me to go. "May the Force be with you."  
  
Dazed, I made my way out the door. Master Altis was still waiting for me there. He stopped pacing and looked at me. "Well, padawan?"  
  
I stopped, smiled and shook my head. "Not anymore, Master Altis," I said. "I've been knighted."  
  
He nodded. "Yes, I know. Master Yoda and I discussed it. Congratulations, Callista." He clasped my hand warmly.  
  
"Not to question your judgement, Master, but why so quickly? I've only been in training for a few years. And I'm you—I just turned twenty! There aren't any Jedi that young."  
  
Master altis nodded. "We know, Callista. But desperate times do call for desperate measures. We need Jedi Knights more than we need padawans." He put a hand on my shoulder. "I'm very proud of you, Callista. I foresee that you will become a great Jedi Knight."  
  
I nodded and bowed hastily. "Thank you, Master."  
  
  
  
"Callie?"  
  
"In the fresher," I called. I looked up at Geith's reflection when he walked in.  
  
"Hey," he said. "Looks like we'll be staying here for a few weeks." He smiled. "What are you doing?"  
  
I turned around, my padawan braid clutched tightly in my hand. I opened it, dangling the braid in front of Geith. He looked at it blankly for a moment, until its meaning hit him. "The Masters—"  
  
I nodded. "I'm a Knight."  
  
He smiled broadly and threw his arms around me. "Congratulations!" he said, twirling me around in the small space. "But it was so quick! You've only been training for a few years, haven't you? I thought it took, like, a decade."  
  
I shrugged. "He said they needed Knights. So a Knight I became."  
  
I laughed, releasing all my excitement in one whoop of joy. Geith set me down and breathed. "Wow. So, what now? What're they going to have me do now?"  
  
I shrugged. "I don't know. I'll probably find out soon, though."  
  
  
  
I did find out soon. The next morning, I woke up to the sound of the communicator chirping, much too happily for five hours past midnight. I hadn't exactly slept much, between my thoughts and my celebrations with Geith. Groaning and raking my fingers through my tousled hair, I sat up and bowed my head. Still half asleep beside me, Geith ran his hand down my back. I grabbed my robe and threw it around me as I staggered out of bed and sat in front of the communicator.  
  
"Hello?" I answered as the caller's holo materialized.  
  
"Did I wake you, Callista?" Master Altis greeted me.  
  
"Yes, as a matter of fact." There was no reason to lie to my master of three years. He knew me too well.  
  
"Terribly sorry," he said.  
  
"No, you're not." Being his padawan of three years had its advantages as well. I smiled tiredly.  
  
He smiled as well. "Either way, I need you and Geith to meet me in the fifth auditorium. We have a mission for you."  
  
I closed my eyes and nodded. "Okay, we'll be there in fifteen."  
  
Master Altis nodded, and the transmission blinked out.  
  
I sighed heavily. "Geith," I said, standing up and returning to the bed. Geith groaned and rolled over. "No," I laughed, throwing one leg over either side of his chest "Come on, baby, get up. Master Altis needs us."  
  
Geith groaned and sat up, pressing his forehead against mine. "All right, all right, I'm up." He leaned in to miss me, but I teasingly pulled back and stood up.  
  
"Get dressed. I told him fifteen minutes."  
  
"What?" He threw the covers off and sung his legs over the side.  
  
I shrugged off my robe and tossed it at him. "He's got a mission for us. Something big."  
  
Geith and I dressed hurriedly, and made it to the auditorium only a few minutes late. We walked through the door. Inside we were met by three people: Master Altis, plus a man and a women I'd never seen before. The man was middle aged, with reddish brown hair and a beard. He was dressed in the traditional garb of the Knights; a lightsaber sung at his hip. Beside him stood a young woman, perhaps three years older than I was. Her long chestnut hair hung over her shoulders to the middle of her back. Her straight, regal brow rested on warm brown eyes. Within her I sensed two tiny lives, which had yet to show on her thin figure. Our eyes met, and I saw for the first time how very haggard she was.  
  
"Ah," Master Altis said. "Thank you for coming so quickly, you two." He gestured to the visitors. "This is General Obi-Wan Kenobi. And this young woman is Senator Padmé Skywalker."  
  
Skywalker.  
  
I tried to conceal my surprise. This woman was the wife of Darth Vader. Every Jedi knew the story: the tow of them had met during the Naboo conflict, then been out of contact entirely for ten years. They'd join forces again and married during the Military Creation Act.  
  
Then Anakin had changed. Rumors and leghends of what really happened were as numerous of the stars, but I don't think anyone knew for sure what exactly had brought about the fall of Anakin Skywalker. Some said Padmé had had an affair with Obi-Wan. Some said his mother had been murdered. Others just said it had been meant to be.  
  
Miracle of miracles, Padmé's pregnancy was unbeknownst by the Chosen One. Everyone knew how important these little babies were.  
  
"Callista, Geith," Master Altis said. "we need you to take them to Belsavis."  
  
Geith and I nodded dutifully. "Yes, Master," I said.  
  
Master Altis nodded. "Better pack up. You'll be gone for quite a while."  
  
I laughed. "Master, you know we've been living out of our suitcases for the last year."  
  
Master Altis smiled. "Very true. You're set for departure in two hours. He nodded to Kenobi and Skywalker. "If you'll excuse us, I have some other business to discuss with your pilots."  
  
Kenobi nodded and protectively took Padmé's arm. They left the room without another word. Padmé lifted her eyes and looked at me, through me as she passed. In her face, which once had been warm and loving, I now only saw testament of the suffering the galaxy was experiencing. Impulsively, I reached over and squeezed her shoulder in support. She smiled wanly.  
  
When the doors had closed behind them, I looked back at Master Altis. "She looked so sad," I said.  
  
"Can't blame her," Geith replied.  
  
"Right. Here's your mission," Master Altis said. "After you take Master Kenobi and Senator Skywalker to Belsavis, we need you to go to Ord Mantell. You'll be staying there for the better part of a year. We've arranged for you to move into an apartment, which we will pay for. While you're there, watch people. Listen. Get jobs in places where lots of people go. It's important that no one knows you're Jedi."  
  
"What for, Master?" I asked.  
  
"We want to put another hideout there, if it's safe."  
  
Geith nodded. Sounds good."  
  
"And if it is safe, you'll head the relocation project," Master Altis finished.  
  
"Yes, Master," I said.  
  
"In addition, the Council is asking any Jedi who can to have chldren," Master Altis tagged it on like an afterthought, and oh-by-the- way, that caught me completely unawares.  
  
"What?" I asked, startled.  
  
"You don't have to; it's by no means a commandment. But you may want to give it some consideration, since our numbers are dwindling so rapidly."  
  
I looked at Geith, and he said, "We'll have to think about it. I mean, raise a child in Ord Mantell. I have enough misgivings about going myself."  
  
I didn't say anything. In my mind, I saw my own mother, almost 15 years dead. Ever since my seventh lifeday, although I didn't acknowledge it until years later, I'd always been afraid of becoming a mother myself. Whether it was because I thought my daughter would be the same way I was or because I felt inadequate without an example of how to be a mother, I didn't know. Perhaps it was both, perhaps it was neither. "We'll think about it," I said, closing the conversation. 


	11. Little Stars

Two hours later, we loaded our belongings into the same shuttle we had come in on. Obi-Wan helped us load the cargo, while Padmé stood off to the side, watching with her arms wrapped tightly around herself. Once everything was loaded, Obi-Wan and Padmé boarded the shuttle. Geith followed them, but Master Altis held me back for a moment.  
"Now, Callista, be sure to report in every so often, on a secure channel."  
I nodded. "We will." I looked at all the trainees and knights watching from the viewports and door, trying to catch a glimpse of the wife of Darth Vader and the famous Obi-Wan Kenobi. "What will happen," I asked, returning my gaze to Master Altis. "if Vader finds them?"  
He shook his head grimly. "Then the galaxy will be doomed, and the Jedi will all be lost."  
I licked my lips. "I won't let it happen," I said. "I won't fail you."  
Master Altis smiled warmly. "Do not fail the Jedi, Callista, and you will never fail me."  
  
Most of our trip passed in silence. Kenobi and Padmé kept mainly to themselves, secluded in the passenger cabins. Geith and I spent most of our time in the cockpit.  
"Have you ever even heard of Belsavis?" I asked, scanning the charts as we made yet another random jump to throw off anyone following us.  
Geith shook his head. "Nope."  
"What do you think it's like?"  
"I don't know," he shrugged, and yawned. "I'm too tired to imagine."  
I stood up and kissed his three-day stubble. "I'll get us some coffeine. Back in a few minutes."  
"Hurry, baby," Geith said with a tired laugh. "I can only last so long..."  
I laughed and closed the cockpit door. With a yawn, I stretched my arms and stumbled wearily to the coffeine maker. I was halfway there when I saw Padmé sitting alone at the table, breathing heavily.  
"You okay?" I asked, stepping closer.  
She looked up at me with red-rimmed eyes and pallid face. "Yes," she said. "Just...morning sickness." She frowned. "It is morning, isn't it?"  
"Yeah, something like that," I said. "It's early, or late, enough to need coffeine. Can I make you a cup?"  
When she shook her head, I filled Geith's cup. "One of my brother's shipmates made a great brew. Much better than this." I set my cup down and walked around behind the kitchen area. "I think I know something that'll help, though, if we have the stuff on this understocked tub."  
"Oh, no, I don't want to trouble you-"  
I waved a hand. "No, really. It's no trouble. My stepmom taught me how to make it. She drank it all the time when she had morning sickness, before she had her miscarriage-" I stopped, thought better of it. "Maybe I'll just make you some warm milk instead." I quickly warmed one of the carton units of milk and set it in front of her. Her face had relaxed immensely from the wide-eyed, shock that had registered there when I 'd mentioned Anela's miscarriage.  
"Thank you," said Padmé, sipping at the milk with a two-handed grip. I sat across from her to finish my coffeine. "Do you have any children, Callista?" she asked suddenly.  
I shook my head. "No, I haven't had the time. I suppose Geith and I will give it a shot, when things start cooling down here. The Masters want us to, but I don't know."  
"How long have you two been together?"  
I paused, counting off the time in my head. "About two years, take a month or two."  
"Are you engaged?"  
Again, I shook my head. "No. I don't think he's big on the idea"  
Padmé smiled. "Anakin-he was nine when we first met. Even then, he knew we'd get married. He told me that, but I didn't believe him." She smiled ruefully, remembering easier, happier times. "It would be ten years before we saw each other again, and we got married mere weeks later." She shrugged, and rubbed her still-flat stomach. "I suppose each case is different, though."  
I nodded. "Did you love him?"  
"I still do."  
I set down my empty cup. "I'm sorry. Forgive me for prying."  
"No, don't worry at all. It's okay." She winced. "Oh."  
"What?" I asked. "Do you want me to get Obi-Wan?"  
"No, he's asleep. I think I just felt one of the babies kick."  
I frowned. "That's early, isn't it?"  
She smiled. "You forget, these are the children of Anakin Skywalker." She looked up at me. "Would you like to feel?"  
I smiled. "Really?"  
Padmé nodded, and gingerly, I reached out and rested a hand against her stomach. There was, indeed, a tiny life moving around in there. I reached out through the Force, touching the life I felt moving-string, very powerful in the Force. "It's the boy," I said. "I can feel his mind."  
The little being reached back to me, knowing I was not his mother, but still, latching on nonetheless.   
"Obi-Wan told me I'll have a boy and a girl."  
"Wow," I breathed, overwhelmed. I looked up into her eyes. "Padmé, you know that if you ever need anything at all, I'll always be willing to help."  
"Just help me protect my babies," she said, determined. "That's all I ask. You know they're special."  
I nodded. "I know."  
A moment of uncomfortable silence.  
"Well," I said. I promised Geith a cup of coffeine. I'd better get it to him before he falls asleep at the controls."  
"I suppose so," Padmé said. "Thank you for the milk."  
"Oh, anytime." I refilled my cup and started back to the cockpit. "I hope you feel better."  
"Yes, thank you."  
Back in the cockpit, I handed Geith his cup. "There you go," I said.   
"Ah, bless you, my love." He gratefully took the cup and swallowed a large gulp. "I almost gave up on you."  
"Padmé was feeling sick," I said. "I made her something to help her feel better." I settled into his lap and rested the back of my head against his shoulder, propping my feet on the control panel. "How much longer, do you think?"  
Geith kissed my temple. "Maybe an hour or so."  
I sat forward and studied the diagnostics. "An hour and a half," I confirmed.  
Geith ran his hands through my hair. "We'd best get into character."  
As part of our undercover job, we were supposed to radically change our appearance. My disguise consisted of blue hair dye, intense makeup, a nose ring and three visible tattoos. In addition, I also was supplied with a new wardrobe-clothes I had only seen on girls whose professions I did not envy. Supposedly the effect was to help me blend in, so I had to ask, blend in where?   
Geith's costume was much less wild. He only blacked his hair and put on a couple of tattoos, and didn't alter his wardrobe at all.  
It took several packages of color crawlers to change my hair from dark brown to blue-black. When I was finished, I looked at my reflection and couldn't help laughing. Leaning against the wall behind me, Padmé smiled. "It suits you," she offered.  
I snorted, and that sent her into fits of laughter as well. She helped me braid my hair into eight long, thick ropes, and reached for the makeup bag.  
"I was just going to ignore that," I protested.  
Padmé shook her head. "Don't worry, I know what I'm doing." As she painted my face with deep reds, blues and blacks, I started pounding on the leather and silver jewelry I'd also been given.  
It took Padmé less time to finish.  
Clip-on hoops spiraled up both my ears, plus another in my nose and one more in my exposed navel. We put one of my fake tattoos (a flower guaranteed to last for months) on the back of my shoulder, a dragon on my hip and a thorny spiral around my bicep.  
Finally finished, I stood in front of the mirror again. "I look ridiculous," I said.  
"That's the point," Padmé pointed out. "Jedi never look ridiculous."  
"Better go," I said, and bounded up to the cockpit. I paused in the doorway until he turned around. When he did, his eyes bulged and his mouth dropped open. I smiled and raised my arms above my head. "Well?"  
Geith shook his head. "Whoa..." he said. "I don't know whether to be turned on or terrified."  
I kissed the top of his head. "Everything in it's time, darling."  
An alarm beeped, signaling our arrival at Belsavis.  
  
  
When the former Queen of Naboo stepped off the shuttle and set foot on Belsavis, only two people came to meet her. No entourage, no deadly fanfare, just two human men dressed in Jedi robes. They whisked her and her escort away quickly, and they were gone before any farewells or thank-yous could be uttered.  
"Well, Geith said, wrapping an arm around my waist from behind. "Ord Mantell, here we come."  
  
Geith and I took the opportunity to sleep during hyperspace. We laid in each other's arms in silence, Geith stroking my arm and tracing tiny circles on my back. His hand slowed as he drifted off to sleep. Finally, it stopped altogether.  
"What did you think?" he asked, surprising me.  
"Think of what?"  
"What Djinn said. About having a baby."  
I tightened my hold around his chest. "I don't know," I said. "You know my reasoning. What do you think?"  
He shrugged, displacing my head. "I think-I want to be a father, some day. Whether we do it now, or later, or whatever, that doesn't matter to me. But I would like it to happen." He paused. "I mean, I've imagined all these things, and ever since I met you, I've imagined them with you, you know? Really, what have you seen for us?"  
I sighed. "Well, I've just always thought-whatever is in the future, I see it with you." I sat up and leaned against the wall of the bed alcove. "But it scares me. I don't know how to be a mother. And anyway," I looked at him pointedly. "Do we really want to bring a child-a Jedi child, no less-into this world? She'd always be in danger. And add on top of that, we'd have the worries of normal parents. For instance, we have no money."  
Geith got up and pressed a finger to my lips. "At least think about it. And know that I think it's a good idea." He kissed me. "Let's not talk about this anymore," he said, lying down and pulling me down with him. With and exasperated sigh, I sank into the welcome respite of his arms, and eventually drifted off to sleep.  
  
Ord Mantell swarmed with activity. We landed at the Spread Legs docking station and gathered our belongings. Everything we had brought fit in four large duffels that slung easily over our shoulders. Our apartment was furnished, and for the mast part paid for the Council.  
"Have you ever been here before?" I asked Geith as he flagged down a speeder cab.  
"Yeah, once," he replied. "But only in passing."  
A bony hand grasped my arm. I looked down into the wide, toothless face of a ragged old man. "Come with me," he said, leaning closer. "I have things to show you." His eyebrows bobbed suggestively as his gnarled fingers snaked up to my shoulder. I pulled away in disgust, and Geith put himself between the two of us.  
"What was that?" he asked.  
The old man's ghoulish face paled, and he backpedaled several steps. "Uh, my mistake, lovely. Thought you were someone else." He shrank back into the crowds and disappeared.  
"Welcome to Ord Mantell," I muttered as a speeder cab pulled up beside us. Geith and I stuffed our duffels in the cargo locker and climbed into the passenger seats.  
"Where to?" the driver asked.  
Geith told him the address, and the driver pulled onto the street and started driving. I laid down and put my head in Geith's lap. I was exhausted from our journey. I felt like I'd been walking on a wire high above the ground and I'd had to be alert the whole time. Now, finally, I'd been let down and I could rest.  
"So where're ye folks from?" The driver asked suddenly.  
"We just moved here from Coruscant," Geith said, in keeping with the alibi we'd cooked up. "We were getting tired of being woken up in the middle of the night by all the Jedi hunting going on in our block."  
"Ah, I see," he said. "S'a pity, really, these purges. Mean, I'm no Jedi friendly, but I dunna like 'em killin' th' kids."  
Geith nodded. "What's it like here? Much hunting going on?"  
The driver snorted. "Ah, no. Any Jedi'd 'ave t'be crazy to set foot in this nest o' bounty 'unters. Every'un 'ere's got a big quarry goin'."  
Geith nodded and stroked my blue hair. Change the subject, I thought urgently at him. People would get suspicious if we asked too many questions.  
"So how about those Jazzy Mutants?" Geith asked, naming a particularly bad smashball team.  
The rest of the conversation idled in sports until we got to our apartment block. "Hee ya'a," the driver said, turning around.  
"Thanks," Geith said, paying him. We climbed out of the speeder and unloaded our bags. The cab pulled away and left us alone.  
Our apartment was on the first floor of six. There was no landlord; rent was paid to some big company on Coruscant.  
"Charming little place, isn't it?" Geith asked.  
I nodded. "It does exude that hominess I've always wanted." I said.  
Geith laughed as I set over of my duffels down and fished the keycard out of my leather pants. I waved it over the lock and dragged the bag I set down iside after the door opened.   
The apartment smelled damp and musty. When Geith turned on the lights we scanned the room. Truth be told, it wasn't that bad. Clean, furnished, I couldn't complain.  
"Better than I thought it'd be," Geith said, tossing his bags on the couch.  
I made a noise of assent and set my other bag down. Geith shut the door. "Well," he said, turning around and slipping his arms around my waist. He kissed my neck.  
"Hmmm...we need to unpack," I protested lamely.  
"That can wait."  
  
  
Luckily for us, our neighbors weren't exactly neighborly. They kept to themselves, and so did we. I got a job in one of the cantinas downtown, under the name Ellara Li. Geith started working in a garage. We were in contact with a lot of people, just like the Masters had wanted. Especially in the cantina, when people got drunk and didn't mind their words. It didn't take us very long to assess that not many people liked the Jedi anymore. The damage Palpatine had done was irreparable; now all we could do was pick up the pieces and hope that what we made was something even remotely resembling the old Order.   
And there was still the troubling issue of a baby. Offhand, I knew it needed to be done, but it was like admitting you made a wrong turn: you had to, but doing so made you look stupid and that alone paralyzed your tongue. In the end, there was only one choice.  
I usually worked later than Geith, but that night I feigned sickness and went home early. When Geith got home an hour later, I was sitting in the darkness, folded into a chair. Of course, he was surprised to see me there waiting for him. "What're you doing home so early?" he asked.  
I shrugged and sat up, swinging my legs over the edge. "I made a decision," I said, reaching out to take his hand. He looked at me with something of a confused expression on his face.  
"About what?"  
I sighed. "About the baby." I watched his reaction as I said. "I want to do it."  
His face changed six times: from confusion to surprise to amazement to excitement to disbelief and back to excitement. "Really?" he asked.  
I smiled and nodded. "Yeah."  
He bent over and kissed me. Thank you, I hear his thoughts. I stood up on the chair, and he picked me up and carried my into our bedroom. "Now?" he asked as I touched his scratchy face.  
"Yes," I said, kissing him again. He laid me on the bed and fumbled with the closures of my outrageous costume.  
That night, Geith held me more gently than he'd ever done when we made love. He cupped my head in one hand, and pressed me to him with his other hand against the small of my back. I felt his sweaty skin pressed against mine, his fingers intertwined with mine, his lips against mine before roving elsewhere. I tried to disregard the emotions surging through me and focus. The only way I could make sure I would get pregnant would be to use the Force, and so I did. Geith did the same. We were like two balls of light circling around each other, drawing closer and closer until finally we met and joined in one flash of brilliant light, blinding and powerful.  
  
I sat on the bed with my back against the wall. My legs were pulled tight against my chest. My attention was focused inward, searching for any sign of a tiny life, growing inside me. Geith still slept beside me, on his back with one arm flopped over the side of the bed. The sheet gathered around his ribs, rising and falling with his breath. I knew how much he wanted this-he never would have asked me to do something I feared so much if he didn't want it so badly. I think I did it more for him than for the Jedi.  
I reached out again, praying to feel the little baby that I wanted to be there. Still, I found nothing. I sighed in frustration and dropped my head to my knees. My motion woke Geith, and he reached out and stroked my thigh. "It's all right," he murmured, opening his eyes. He rolled on his stomach and examined my knee. "We'll keep trying."  
I sighed and slid underneath him, seeking his warmth and comfort. "I don't understand it, Geith. I thought using the Force would make it happen."  
Geith drew circles on my skin with a finger. "I think that it will make it happen. Just not today."  
  
  
The cantina was incredibly busy that night. The word was that Nubblyk the Slyte was leaving on an extended run for new hideout zones, so his associates here were throwing him a huge going-away party.  
"Ellara! Toss me the Saintly Sin!" Sugar, the old-but-young-looking owner, yelled to me. I grabbed the sculpted bottle and tossed it to her.  
"Hey, beauty, what does it take to get a drink around here?"  
I turned and faced the bar, where a loudly dressed old man sat leering at me. His oily skin glistened in the half light as his eyebrows rose and fell suggestively. Rolling my eyes, I leaned forward. "What'll it be?"  
He smiled. "Hardest stuff you got, with a piece of you on the side." His eyes lowered just a little.  
Please, I thought, but said, "Well, since I am the hardest thing we got, and I'm not a drink, you'll settle for some of the Saintly Sin. It's on special today, and cheaper than me anyway." I surreptitiously waved my hand in front of him as I spoke, subtly implanting the thought in his mind.  
"On second thought, gimme some of the Saintly Sin. It's on special today, isn't it?"  
I nodded, pouring him a shot. "Yep.'  
"Cheaper than you, I bet," he added condescendingly, gulping down his shot. "Keep 'em coming."  
I poured him another shot and walked away, surveying the patrons in their reveling.   
"Hey!" Sugar shrieked, bringing me back to the matter at hand. I looked up to see her leaping up on top of the bar. Two men were circling and throwing punches. I jumped over the counter and pushed through the crowds. One of the men, I saw was the oily man I'd just served the Saintly Sin to. And whoever was fighting him was totally kicking his-  
"Geith!" I shouted, as he punched the oily man again. I climbed up on the bar so I could jump between them, then remembered he had an alias. "Evin, stop it!"  
"I'll teach you to hit on my girlfriend!"  
"Evin! Leave him alone! He's not-" I was cut off by a sudden dizzy spell. I wobbled on my stiletto-heeled boots. Sugar grabbed my arm.   
"Ell, you okay?"  
Geith's face swam before my eyes. Heat erupted in my veins and seeped through my skin. Then my knees buckled under me, and my feet failed.   
The next thing I knew, I was lying back in the break room, with Geith and Sugar watching me worriedly.   
"Elly, you okay?" Geith asked, touching my face.  
I groaned. "What happened?"  
"You passed out," Sugar told me. "I think you hit your head on the bar when you went down. Do you feel okay?"  
Then an idea struck me.  
"I'm fine," I said. "Who's watching the bar?"  
"I pulled Killian off his break," she said. "Tell you what, why don't you go home? Killian and I can manage fine. Evin, go ahead and take her home, honey."  
Geith nodded. "Thanks, Sugar."  
Sugar smiled and disappeared out into the bar. Geith helped me to sit up. "What happened?" he asked.   
I shook my head. "I don't know, I just...got...really dizzy." I looked up. "Geith, I think..."  
"You think what?"  
I grabbed his hand and pressed it against my stomach. "You do it. I'm afraid to."  
He looked at me with a spark of hope in his eyes. He looked at my stomach, closed his eyes and reached out through the Force. I could feel him probing me, searching for the tiny life growing inside my presence. A slow smile lifted the corners of his mouth. He squeezed my hand and I smiled and laughed. 


	12. Something is Ending

Master Altis was the first person we told. His holoed face lit up, like I'd told him he was going to be a grandpa. "Ah, Callista, congratulations."  
"Thank you, Master." I paused. "What happens now? Or, I mean, when I have the baby? Will I get to train her myself?"  
"Most likely," he replied. "Under these circumstances, almost certainly." Then he changed the subject. "How is your mission? What have you found out?"  
I twisted my hands around themselves. "Very well," I reported. "Our cover hasn't been blown, no one suspects us. We've been able to tell, that, well, on Ord Mantell, no one likes us much."  
Master Altis nodded. "We suspected that that would be the case."  
"What else do you want us to do? It seems to me that the mission has served its purpose."  
"Not quite. Observe for a few months more, to see if the situation changes at all."  
I sighed and nodded. "Yes, Master."  
"May the Force be with you, Callista," he said, and signed off. I continued to stare at the holoproj unit for a few more heartbeats. I laid back on the bed and uncosciously touched my abdomen, and searched for the little life.  
There. There was another mind inside my own, growing and gaining instinct that is the Force. The baby would live a long life, fight evil as a Jedi Knight. She would do remarkable things, started as a speck of tiny flesh inside me.  
She.  
My baby was going to be a girl, and I was going to be a mother, better than Anela, better than Mama.  
"So what'd the old boy have to say this time?"  
I turned around and faced Geith as he came into the bedroom and flopped onto the bed. He pillowed his head in my lap, silently asking me to rub his head, something he loved for me to do. I obligingly ran my fingers through his hair, massaging his scalp. "He wants us to stay here for a few more months, just to see if the situation changes  
Geith groaned. "They hate us. They want us dead. What more do they need to know?"  
I shrugged. "Maybe things will change."  
"And maybe the twin suns of Tatooine will plunge in to your very oceans!" Geith said with a snort of laughter.  
I bent over and kissed his forehead. "Just a few months, love. Then we'll never come back here. I promise."  
"All right, all right," he said with a sigh. He propped himself up on his elbow. Come here."  
I laid down next to him. He leaned down and kissed my nose, and whispered in my ear. "Have I told you how happy I am?"  
I smiled and kissed him back. "Are you scared?"  
He shrugged. "Are you?"  
  
"You're pregnant?" Sugar looked at me with a mixture of shock and excitement. The cantina was empty; the night crowd had yet to come in. Killian was setting out shot glasses, glancing over at us every once in a while.  
"So wait, is that why you passed out the other night?"  
I nodded. "Probably. I did a test when I got home, and-" I shrugged. "I'm pregnant."  
Killian wiped out another glass, and set it down. "What does Evin think? Is he excited to be a dad?"  
I smiled. "Yeah. I have never seen him so happy."  
"Well, congratulations, Ellara," Sugar began, but anything else she said disappeared when four stormtroopers and one of the local officers come in. I tense. Stormtroopers came in all the time, but I never got used to it. I always thought they were coming for me.  
Sugar leaned forward and slapped on her fake smile. "Evenin', gents, you're here early tonight. What can I get for you?"  
One of the was looking at me, eyeing me warily. My breath shallowed. I turned away, trying to calm my anxiety as I busied myself consolidating Saintly Sin. My hands were shaking so badly I spilled the blue alcohol all over my hands. "Damn," I muttered, silently breathing a sigh of relief, because now I had an excuse to step out.  
I walked to the back and washed my hands. Breathe, I told myself. Just breathe, and they'll be gone soon.  
"Ell?" Killian came around the corner and leaned against the wall. "Hey, there you are."  
"What's up, Killian?" I asked.  
He shrugged. "Those troopers out there want to talk to you. Sugar sent me to get you."  
My stomach chattered, taking my knees with it. How...  
"Hey, are you okay? You're pale." He reached out and took my arm.  
I took a deep breath. "Killian, listen to me. I'm telling you this because you're my friend and I can trust you, can't I?"  
He nodded. "Sure."  
I hesitated. If I told him, my cover was blown. He could betray me. No, not Killian. "My name is not Ellara. My name is Callista. Evin's name is Geith. Those men are Jedi Apprehension officers, and they're looking for us."  
"You're Jedi?"  
I nodded. "If they find us, they'll kill both-the three of us," I touched my stomach. "and they may kill both of you, for harboring us. Please, Killian, don't turn us in." I grabbed this hand. "Please?"  
He looked at our hands. "Run," he said. "Don't come back. I'll stall." He looked up at me. "I always knew the Jedi were good."  
I smiled. "Thank you. Tell Sugar I'm sorry."  
He nodded. "I will," he said. "Now get out of here."  
I said "Thank you" one last time as I rushed for the door, but I never saw either of them again.  
  
I ran all the way back to our apartment. It was already dark out, but the lights weren't on when I got there. I waved my hand and opened the door with the Force.  
"Geith!" I cried, bursting into the foyer. "Geith!"  
"What? What?" Geith replied, emerging from the bedroom. I grabbed his hand. "Come on. We've got to get out of here."  
"Why?" He rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "What's going on?"  
"Our cover's been blown. Troopers-" I paused to catch my breath. "Troopers coming." I was interrupted by a pounding on our door.  
"Open up! In the name of the Emperor!"  
Geith gripped my arm. "Out the back. Come on." He grabbed his coat and threw it over my shoulders.   
"Evin Filipiak! Ellara Li! Open this door! You are surrounded!"  
Geith grabbed his blaster off the dresser and followed me into the kitchen. From the next room, I heard the troopers break the window. A shattering of transparisteel filled the air. I cried out and reached for my lightsaber. We ran through the apartment to the inner hallway. Geith kept a tight hold on my hand, pulling me along with him as I tried to keep up with his longer stride. Other doors flashed past us as we ran, doors that began opening when the troopers burst into the hall and began firing on us. "Come on!" Geith shouted.  
I called upon the Force to spread a shield across our backs. Ignoring the curious and surprised faces of our neighbors, we made it to the streets, where there were troopers waiting for us. They started firing on us immediately. We dove behind the stone gate of the building. "Stay down," Geith commanded, pulling out his blaster. He poked his head over the wall and fired on the fifteen troopers on the other side.  
"We can't stay here forever!" I cried. "Let's make a run for it."  
"You're crazy! Under this fire?"  
"We can do it!" I paused, ducking as blaster fire sent shrapnel flying. "We'll put up a shield. Just give me a minute." I closed my eyes and concentrated, gathering power within myself. I spread a skin of power over me and Geith like a veil, like I'd done in the hall. It was harder, this time, because I was shaking with fear and windedness. When I had a confident hold on it, I cried, "Go! Run!"  
Geith jumped up and pulled me to my feet, bolting for the tangled canals of the streets. The troopers followed us, seeping into the cracks among the buildings like weeds.  
When I dropped our shields, Geith pulled me into a shallow alcove. "Split up. We'll be harder to find."  
I shook my head. "No, Geith, we can't-"  
"Yes, we can," he kissed my forehead and hugged me tightly. "We both know what we're doing. Link to my mind, so we'll be together that way."  
"I took a deep breath. "Okay," I said, then stronger. "Okay. I love you."  
"I love you, too." He kissed me briefly. "Go."  
I checked the streets and then ran into the shadows, not looking over my shoulder to see where Geith went. Moments later, I was being tailed by five troopers, firing their blasters all around me. I threw my hands over my head as if mere human flesh could repel the searing laser bolts. Trying to lose them, I made a series of blind, rapid turns, until not even I knew where I was. The shouts of the stormtroopers were far off, though, which eased my anxiety. I slowed to a jog in a dark courtyard, and stopped to catch my breath. I leaned against a wall and took several deep lungfuls of air.  
Then the wall grabbed me, covering my mouth so I couldn't scream. "Jedi Knight, listen carefully." Her voice was hushed and strong against my ear. I tried to get a t my lightsaber, but her strong fingers were already there, holding the weapon in place. "Listen well. Let them catch you. I will help you if you get them all in one place. Tell your mate."  
Silently through the Force, she sent one more command to my mind. Trust me. Then I was released. I whirled around, but she was gone.  
"H-hello?"  
"Callie!" Geith was running towards me, the entire squad on his tail. "Run!"  
I spun on my heel and bolted, momentarily forgetting the mysterious woman's admonition.   
"Look out!" Geith shouted. Something whirled closer and closer, growing louder until a pair of stone bolos wrapped around my feet. The stones smashed with shattering force around my ankles and I collapsed to the gravel. The rough ground skinned my hands and arms to my elbows.  
"Callie!" Then, "Let go of me! Get off! Get off!"  
I turned and looked at Geith. They had him by his arms, but his legs were free and kicking like a spooked animal at anyone who came near. "Get off of me!"  
One of the troopers strode over and yanked me up by my hair. He pulled my head back so I looked up into his face. I cried out in pain, then gasped. He wore no helmet. It was the man from the cantina, the one I'd foolishly attempted a mind trick on.   
"Jedi," he growled. "You should have known that I, an Imperial officer, couldn't be swayed by such parlor tricks?" He shook my hair violently, sending trembles through my entire body. I gripped my scalp trying to keep him from pulling out my hair entirely. "You've been difficult to track down, Callista. But it's safe to say that your cover's been blown." He leaned closer. "Do you remember what I ordered?"  
I shuddered, remembering his crude pickup lines. Please don't-  
He threw me back to the pavement and stood over me. "I expect to get my order before we kill you," he said with a sneer, reaching for his belt. "After all, the customer is always right."  
"No! Callie! No!"  
"Shut him up," he said, exasperated. I heard the sound of a fist connecting with jaw, and a pained grunt from Geith. I closed my eyes and winced. I didn't open my eyes again, but I wished I could close my ears, numb my skin. I'd heard the rumors, how Jedi women were beaten and raped before they were murdered...  
Not my baby...  
Calm...a Jedi is calm...  
He was down on his knees, straddling my waist. I kicked, twisted and writhed, trying to wriggle free. He held my hands over my head so I couldn't fight.  
There was a loud noise, shouts, and my attacker's heavy body flopping on top of me. I screamed. This was it, I thought.  
But he didn't move. He didn't breathe.  
My shock paralyzed me as more blaster bolts filled the air, each on punctuated by a heavy thud. When everything was quiet, I shook myself and heaved his body off me. "Geith," I called. "Geith, are you all right?"  
"Callie!" Geith replied. He ran to help me to my feet. I hugged him tightly.  
"We haven't much time!" said a new voice. Geith and I turned it its direction and saw a young woman walking towards us, holstering a blaster at her thigh, beside a lightsaber. She wore short, deep blue robes and black boots. Her blond hair was pulled to the back of her head. Shards of glass were tattooed on her face, over an eye and inlaid with subcutaneous crystals.  
Geith reached for his blaster, and the girl raised her hands. "I am not here to harm you."  
"What do you want?" Geith demanded.  
"Geith, put your blaster away, I said, gently pushing his arm down. "She just saved our lives."  
"Anyone will spare their enemy as long as it benefits them."  
"This is true, Geith Jiséo," the woman said. "My name is Katrinna Ghalas. My master sent me to collect the two of you. We need your help."  
"Help with what?" I asked.  
"You are experienced in Jedi smuggling, are you not?"  
"Who is your Master?" Geith asked, still warily mistrusting.  
"Geith, it's all right," I said. "Reach out with your feelings. "She's one of us." I turned back to Ghalas. "Yes, we smuggled Jedi."  
She nodded. "The masters have elected a new planet as a Jedi hideout. Belsavis isn't on any charts, which makes it perfect."  
"Belsavis," I muttered.  
Ghalas nodded. "Master Kenobi referred you to us. He said you were two of the best. Anyway, this hideout is designed specifically for the children of the Jedi, by my Master, the Ho'Din Plett. Even if all of us are wiped out, then the next generation will survive and reawaken the order." She looked at both of us, her gaze lingering on me a moment longer. "Will you help us?"  
I looked at Geith. "We should speak with Master Altis," he said.  
"We cannot continue our mission here, either way. We might as well go," I argued, then abruptly spoke to Ghalas. "We'll go."  
Ghalas smiled and bowed in the formal Jedi fashion. "Excellent," she gestured for the gate. "We must leave immediately. Do you have any belongings left at your apartment?"  
I shook my head. "No doubt they've already torched the place." I took Geith's hand, and looked into his eyes. "Come on."  
"I have a bad feeling about this, Callie," he said.  
"So do I, but I have an even worse feeling about staying here. I'm not going to be pregnant on this hellhole."  
Geith sighed. "Okay, okay."  
  
"So why didn't this Master Plett come to us himself?" Geith asked. We were en route to Belsavis on Ghalas' shuttle. The three of us sat in the cockpit, watching the crystalline vortex of hyperspace.  
"Master Plett hasn't been off of Belsavis for almost a hundred years," Ghalas said, turning to look at Geith.  
"So...why isn't Belsavis on any charts?" I asked.  
"Master Plett says that the Jedi discovered it just over a century ago. They kept it secret, not reporting its discovery to anyone. It's the safest place for the Jedi. Only Jedi know where it is."  
"Then, Lady Skywalker is the first non-Jedi to visit it."  
Ghalas nodded. "As far as we know."  
"How many masters are there?" Geith asked.  
"Not many, right now. More will come as the shelters fill."  
Geith nodded. "The shelter's been built?"  
"The shelter is in the bowls of a retired volcano. All the tunnels, everything is natural." Ghalas shut off the approaching alarms and pulled out of hyperspace. The landing is going to be a little rocky. The valley's surrounded by plains of ice. The winds are incredibly high. I suggest you web up."  
We descended through the buffeting ice and wind. The ship rocked from one side to the other. Ghalas handled the shuttle expertly, smoothly. She was seemingly unconcerned with the bucking and pitching shuttle. When we were finally on the ground, Ghalas powered down the shuttle and stood up. "Quickly. We have a fair distance to walk."  
"In that?" Geith asked incredulously, gesturing to the frigid wasteland outside.  
"Appearances are deceiving, Jiséo," Ghalas said, keying open the hatch. The wind outside invaded the ship, swirling around us and jabbing at is with icy fingers. "Come on," Ghalas said, and walked out into the storm.  
Geith wrapped us arms around my shoulder and we followed Ghalas out into the snow. Our "fair distance" was only a few feet-Ghalas had stopped just outside the ship.  
"What is it?" I shouted over the howling wind.   
Ghalas dropped to her knees and waved her hands over the snow. She used the Force to clear the snow out of her path. Underneath the snow was a trap door, which she waved her hand over again and it opened. As she swung her legs over, she gestured to us. "This way!" Then she dropped through the door. Geith and I jumped through after her.  
The tunnel we landed in was warm, lined with black, shining stone.  
"Whoa," Geith marveled.  
"This is one of the volcanic vents I told you about," Ghalas said.  
"You're absolutely sure this volcano is retired?" I asked.  
"If it's not, I promise you'll be the first to know," Ghalas turned around and eyed me, amused by her own joke. I didn't say anything, but rested a hand on my stomach and continued to follow her. We walked through the vent; the only noises were our footsteps harmonizing with dripping steam. Geith held my hand tightly, taking in everything around us. He didn't like any of this, I could tell that much.  
After walking through the snakelike vent for almost an hour, the tunnel opened up into a wide, tropical valley. I lacked the voice to convey my awe, so all I could do was gasp.  
The valley was vast, reaching miles to the other side. Tall, unspoiled trees rose almost the strange, almost-dome structure covering the valley. It was warm, and reminded me of the humid air of my homeworld.  
Finally, I thought. A place for the Jedi, unknown, beautiful, safe. This place felt safe. We could be happy here, Geith and I, and our baby.  
"Come," Ghalas said. "My Master is waiting for us."  
  
Master Plett's dwelling was built in an area of lower ground, deep in the jungle of foliage. The ceiling was high-vault to accommodate a Ho'Din's lofty height. The walls were draped in creeping green vines. Ghalas tapped the door and pushed it open quietly and slowly. "Master Plett?" she called.  
A lilting, willowy voice emanated from the back: "You may enter, my student."  
Ghalas turned to us and gestured for us to follow her.  
Inside was warm, humid. Vines crept up the walls and over the vault beams to form the ceiling. A jungle of plants grew all throughout the building, and small creatures scurried around the floor, chittering and yipping.  
A tall figure moved among the plants, looking like a plant himself. He straightened as we came in, and the four of us bowed formally.  
"Master Plett," Ghalas said. "This is Jedi Knight Callista Nogati, and student Gieth Jiséo."  
Plett smiled faintly. "It has been many years since I left Belsavis, but I am certain that the dress code has not changed."  
I looked down at my cantinagirl outfit and smiled sheepishly. I was filthy, and my clothes were ripped almost to shreds from the struggle on Ord Mantell. "Forgive us, Master," Geith said. "Our other belongings were destroyed when our mission was compromised."  
Plett nodded, amused. "We will see to it that you receive clean clothing." He spread his hands, and his snakelike tresses stirred. "Please, sit down. We have much to talk about."  
  
And so, after having left the profession only a month before, Geith and I once again became the salvation of Jedi. This time around, though, there were chillingly fewer Jedi to smuggle, and all of them-all of them!-were children. True, there was the occasional Knight accompanying the younger ones, but with the surviving Jedi so thinly spread, we smugglers were left to our own devices.  
This made Geith all the more nervous about my involvement. As the months passed and my baby grew, he insisted that we stay together on every mission, "just in case," he said. Oddly enough, very little happened, at least as far as our missions were concerned. But during those months, I experienced more sickness than I had in my entire life. I was sick every morning, and dizzy and sore the rest of the time. I became very good at using the Force to sill pain. In our rare private moments, Geith and I fantasized about our imaginary normal life, living on a planet far away from this conflict. We randomly tossed around baby names, dismissing them as quickly as they came to us. Geith was so excited to be a father. I'd never seen him so exited and alive. Lying in bed at night, he'd rest his head next to my slowly expanding stomach, talking to the baby and making me laugh. He was always there to give me support, telling me I was not fat, despite the fact that I felt bigger than a tsaelke.  
About seven months into my pregnancy, we were called on our largest mission yet. The number of knighted Jedi numbered less than fifty, with fewer students than that, but there had been almost a hundred children saved. It was a grim statistic, but, all things considered, miraculous.  
This time we were going to transfer sixteen young children from Alderaan to Belsavis. Bail Organa, the Prince of Alderaan's House Organa, had been harboring young Jedi for a year, but now it was too dangerous for his people. The mission was going to be dangerous-we had to get the sixteen children past the Imperial garrison.   
We landed on Alderaan without incident, and Organa's private aide was there to meet us.  
"Welcome, my friends," he said. He gathered his long robes around himself and stretched out a hand to shake with us. We, dressed in our civilian clothes, responded in like civilian manner. "The Prince of Alderaan expressed his apologies for not meeting with you personally. He was called into an urgent meeting last minute. I will talk you to pick up your cargo."  
Geith nodded. "Thank you-"  
"-Vico."  
"Vico. Thank you, Vico."  
  
The children were living in a tunnel of secret rooms in the bowels of the Palace Aldera. Sixteen little ones, all under the age of ten.  
"Is there a master with them?" I asked as the children congregated around us.  
"That would be me."  
I turned around to face the new voice, and found myself staring into unusual violet eyes. I froze. "Soonta?"  
"Callista?" Soonta replied, just as shocked as I was. He laughed and threw his arms around me. "I don't believe it!"  
I hugged him tightly. "Where have you been? I haven't seen you since Corellia!" I stepped back and looked at him carefully. "How are you?"  
Soonta nodded. "I'm good. I've been better, recently. I mena, it's been a year since..." he trailed off, and looked around for something the change the subject. "What is this?" he asked suddenly, looking in disbelief at my stomach and gently reaching out to rest his hand on it. I smiled.  
"My effort in the cause," I said, taking Geith's hand.  
"Boy or girl?"  
"A girl."  
Soonta and Geith gripped hands emphatically. "Congratulations, man." He turned and faced the children. "All right, kids. We're going on a little trip. My friends Geith and Callie are taking us to a new place to live. You'll all be very safe there."  
"Will you be there?" asked a little Sullustan child, his voice high and squeaky.  
Soonta smiled and rested a hand on the child's head. "Yes, I will, Loen. I will be there to protect you."  
"Will there be bad mens there?" another human boy asked, tugging at my pants leg. Carefully, I knelt beside him and put my hands on his shoulders. "What's your name?"  
"Nichos," he said, rubbing his nose with a fist.  
"Nichos, I promise they won't hurt you. Where we're going, there are any people but Jedi, like you." I touched his chin and lifted it so he was eye to eye with me. "Okay?"  
He sniffed and nodded. "Okay."  
I looked up at Soonta, Geith and Vico. "Let's get going," I said. "Before they get curious about the ship."  
Geith helped me stand and we each gathered four of the children around us. Nichos clung to my side, holding my pant leg with one hand and chewing a finger of the other. Geith hoisted a little girl into his arms. We trekked back to the ship.  
We had just stepped back onto the landing platform when a stormtrooper came running towards us. Instantly, my senses were aware, ready to draw my lightsaber at any moment. Every so often the trooper doubled over, stumbling as if he was injured. Soonta stepped in front of all of us and reached for his lightsaber beneath his nondescript coat.  
The stormtrooper tripped and fell. Soonta knelt and caught him. The stormtrooper ripped off his helmet, squinting in the sudden light. His skin was pasty and white, stained only by a trickle of blood leaking form his mouth. He gasped and wheezed, straining. "Belsavis," he managed, and se all tensed. "Moonflower..." then his labored breath eased, then stopped altogether. The silence afterward was terrible, heavy with realization.  
"We've got to go, I said. "Now. Right now. Come on!"  
"The body-" Vico began.  
"Take care of it," Soonta said, gathering the children. "Run, kids!"  
The children bolted, trailing along and stretching along the platform. Geith sprinted to the head of the line and opened the ship so they could board.  
As he closed up to ready for lift off, he glanced at me. "What are you thinking?" He powered up the ship in staccato, rapid movements.   
"They know the Jedi are on Belsavis," I said. "They need to be warned. Force only knows what would happen if they got there and found this nest of Jedi."  
Geith nodded, squeezing my hand as we lifted off.  
How could they know that we've nested there?" Soonta asked from the door. He moved to sit down as I looked at him. "No one knows we're there," he said.  
"Only the people who are there already," Geith suggested.  
"You don't honestly think..." I said doubtfully.  
"I wouldn't rule it out," Geith said.  
I felt a sudden sharp pain in my stomach. Grimacing, I touched my abdomen. "Ouch."  
"What?" Geith asked, suddenly changing focus and becoming a worrisome father-to-be.  
I breathed, and shook my head. "Nothing," I looked at him and smiled. "I'm all right."  
  
"Soonta, take the children and get them settled. Geith and I have to talk to Master Plett." I reached up and helped a little girl down from the top bunk.  
"Where do we go?" Soonta sked.  
"There'll be a guide outside to take you."  
"Okay," he said. "I'll see you soon, then."  
I nodded. "Bye,"  
"Bye, Callie," Nichos said, latching on to Soonta's coat. I smile and waved at him.  
"Bye-bye."  
Geith came up behind me and took my hand. "You think that's the last of them?"  
I sighed. "I hope not. Come on. We've got to find Padmé."  
Geith and I walked down the ramp behind the children hand in hand. Suddenly, I felt something inside me move, like a tiny bubble popping. I froze. Geith walked to arm's length before realizing I had stopped. He looked at me, but all the questions died on his lips when he saw my expression.  
"Now?" he asked. "But...it's too early. You still have two months."  
I shook my head. "No, Geith. This is it. The baby's coming tonight." 


	13. Broken

"Push, Callista! Come on, you can do it!"  
"I'm right here, Callie. I'm here for you. You'll be all right..."  
The rest of Geith's words were drowned out when I screamed again. The last thirteen hours had all been the same, filled with pain, like a white-hot lightsaber slicing through my stomach.  
"Okay, Callista, you need to stop pushing now," a healer knight named Samon told me.  
"Why isn't she coming out?" I whimpered, exhausted. My head fell back against Geith's arm. His hand squeezed mine every so often. He kissed my temple, and let his mouth rest there for just a few moments.  
"What's going on?" Geith asked Samon.  
"Samon!" Ghalas called from the door. "You about done there?"  
"Why?" Samon didn't even turn to face her.  
"There's another one across the hall."  
"What?!" I cried, raising my head to stare at Ghalas. As far as I knew, there was only one other pregnant woman on Belsavis...  
"I'll be there in a few minutes," Samon said. He turned his attention back to me. "Okay, Callista. Don't panic. That's the last thing any of us want to do."  
"Why would I panic?" I asked, suddenly scared ten times more.  
"Your hips are too narrow. The baby can't get out."  
"What does that mean?" Geith asked.  
Samon looked at him as if to say, Not now.  
"Oh, stars..." I moaned.  
"Reach out, Callista," Samon told me. "We'll do what we can...bring her out slowly."  
I squeezed my eyes shut, tears of pain, exhaustion and fear trickled down my cheeks.  
"Callie," Geith whispered, lacing his fingers through mine. "I love you. Hang in there..."  
I released a shuddering, gasping breath. "Help me, Geith," I pleaded. Then I reached out through the Force, deep within myself to where the baby was trapped-  
There. She wasn't moving, her own simple fear had stayed her progress. Even two months early, she was too big, or I was too small. I'd have to move the bone, stretch it, make room for her to get out. Gingerly, carefully I set to work, reassuring the baby that everything was going to be okay as I grabbed onto the bones with invisible hands, and then I began to pull.  
Raw, searing pain from between my legs told me it was working, adding itself to the sharp, repeating contractions. I couldn't divert my attention to calming it now...giving in to that weakness would kill us both. Instead, I screamed.  
Geith stepped in, using his own talents to soothe over the burning edges of pain.  
"I see her!" Samon cried. "I can see the head."  
Geith squeezed my hand. "It's almost over, darling. Almost there..."  
"All right, Callista, one more push..." Samon coaxed. "And...she's...out!"  
A new, shaky, bleating cry joined ours. I opened my eyes, releasing my hold on my bones and exhaling. I was shaking, and even that reflex seemed like a chore.  
Samon wrapped the baby in a blanket. "A lovely baby girl," he said, handing her to me.  
I took her greedily, like one starving and being offered bread. My arms were so sapped of strength that Geith had to help me hold her.  
"You did it, Callie," he said gently, kissing me softly.  
"We did it," I corrected him, exhaling and taking in my first breath in what seemed like thirteen hours. I gently lifted the baby to my lips and kissed her fuzzy head. "You're so little, baby," I whispered. "How can you have caused so much trouble?"  
Geith chuckled. "What are we going to name her?"  
"Kara," I said, knowing absolutely that that was meant to be her name. "Her name is Kara."  
The memory of my mother was more tangible than ever, as if I could feel her with me in the room. When everything came full circle, it made perfect sense to name her after my mother.  
Geith wiped sweaty hair off my face and kissed my forehead. "It's perfect," he said.  
"Right," Samon said. "I have to run across the hall. I'll be back later. Wei, would you clean up?"  
Samon's padawan started mopping up blood and clearing equipment, but Geith and I were oblivious. As Padmé delivered twins in the next room, a bubble formed around me and my own little family. Geith was crying for the first time I'd ever seen him cry. I was crying, happy that the ordeal was over and had given way to a new chapter in my life. Kara curled around my breast and slept, exhausted from the long journey into the world. Geith and I laid down on either side of her, protecting her with out bodies. After I'd wearily closed my eyes, Geith touched my cheek with the side of his finger. "You're going to make a wonderful mother, Callista," he said as I drifted off into sleep.  
  
For the next couple of days, I slept, regaining my strength. When I wasn't asleep, I was watching Kara as Geith rested. I loved every minute of it, counting her tiny fingers and toes, tracing the soft whorls of hair on the top of her head. She had a lot of dark hair, for such a little baby. When she opened her eyes, they were gray, like the hide of our cy'een Milla. She'd stretch her little baby arms and yawn, her mouth making a tiny little hole I couldn't even fit my finger through. I was amazed that something so perfect had come from me, from me and Geith.  
Geith was just as marveled as I was, and I could tell that he would be a great father. He was absolutely in love with the new "little lady" in his life, and he spent his free time holding her close to his chest and rocking her to sleep.   
A week after Kara was born, I woke up alone on the bed. The room was dark; it was late, or early, however you looked at it. I sat up slowly and looked around. Geith was sitting in the rocking chair, holding Kara. His head was tilted against the back of the chair, his eyelids fluttering over his eyes as he lightly slept. I slid off the bed and padded softly to the rocking chair. I stroked his hair, speculating. Geith would be a wonderful father. He'd grown up with a loving father of his own, a good example for him. I had no idea what I was doing.  
But it didn't matter.   
I kissed the top of his head. He woke, opening his eyes and looking at me with a tired smile. "Hey, baby. How you feeling?"  
I smiled. "Good." I bent and stroked Kara's downy head. "Think she'll be like that forever? Quiet?"  
Geith chuckled. "Right."  
I touched his chin and tilted his face up so I could kiss him. "Thank you," I said, kissing him again to seal my gratitude. Geith stood up and crossed to the bassinet, laying our sleeping baby inside. Then he came back and wrapped his arms around me. His kisses were soft, pleasant. I melted into his arms and sighed.  
"Marry me, Callie," he said suddenly.  
I broke contact and stepped back, looking at him with surprise. "What?"  
"I want you to marry me," he said. He gripped my hands and kissed my forehead. "We're a family now. We belong together." He looked deep into my eyes. "I fell in love with you the moment I saw you. You're the most amazing person I've ever met, and I want to be with you forever." He leaned in and kissed me again. "Please?"  
I smiled. "Okay."  
Geith grinned. "Really?"  
I nodded. "Yeah."  
He threw his arms around me and spun me around. "I love you, Callie," he said.  
"Mmmm," I murmured. "Can we stay here, though? This is the perfect place to raise a Jedi child, don't you think?"  
"Of course," Geith said. "Especially when we have a couple more, you know?"  
I looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "Is that so, Jiséo?"  
He just grinned impishly.  
Kara woke up then, and began to wail. I bent over the bassinet and picked her up. "Shhh," I whispered, bouncing and rocking her. In an instant, I felt what had woken her up.  
"Geith," I said, shakily.  
"Yeah," he said. "I'll go check it out."  
As he went out into the hall, the alarms began blaring.  
"Stormtroopers!" someone outside yelled.  
Geith barreled back into the room. "Get dressed. We have to get out of here." He came over and lifted Kara out of my arms so I could pull on my pants and a shirt. I grabbed my lightsaber. "Come on, come on, come on!" he said, grabbing my hand and pulling me after him.  
An explosion heaved the ground beneath our feet and rubble showered us from above. I covered my head and yelled to Geith, "Her head!"  
Geith hunched over her screaming face to protect her. A massive shower of falling ceiling toppled around me, and I fell. Soon, I was buried. A sharp pain raged up my leg.  
"Callie!" Geith's muffled voice seeped through the cracks of the rocks. Too dazed to answer, I just laid beneath the rock, and tried to clear my head. Geith cursed and I felt him hurling the rocks off of me. When I was free, he lifted me up. "Are you all right?'  
I nodded and gripped his sleeve. "I think I twisted my foot."  
"Take Kara," Geith said, and when I did, he scooped us up and ran. More explosions sounded around us. There were quickly joined by voices:  
"Get all of them! If you find any infants, spare them, but no one else! Our Emperor needs them!"  
Geith stumbled and nearly dropped us. "Put me down!" I cried, reaching for my lightsaber. He set me down gently.  
"Hide someplace!" Geith told me. "Protect Kara!"  
I stumbled painfully to a dark closet. Holding Kara close to my chest, I wedged myself into the farthest corner, behind boxes of supplies. Kara was whimpering in fear, but I did my best to soothe her. Outside, I heard blaster shots, lightsabers and death screams. I squeezed my eyes shut, wishing desperately that I wasn't hiding, that I could fight. I wanted to be with Geith, defending ourselves.   
No one would find Kara here.  
Carefully, I stood up and nestled her into a pile of blankets.  
"Stay quiet, little one," I whispered, kissing her forehead. "I'll come back for you. I love you."  
Cautiously, I slipped out of the closet and limped back into the foray. The pain in my leg lessened as I moved. I ignited my lightsaber and fought two stormtroopers off Soonta's back.  
"Are you all right?" I yelled over the fighting, grabbing his arm to help him stand. His face was cut and bloody, but he seemed otherwise unhurt. He nodded, and raised his lightsaber. Over his shoulders I caught sight of two fleeing forms. It was Padmé and Obi-Wan, each carrying a tiny bundle in their arms. Obi-Wan was cloaking them with the Force, hiding them from anyone but the Jedi. Padmé met my stare and paused. A flash of understanding passed between us, a materiel fear for the children we'd brought into hell on the same night.  
Obi-Wan took her by the arm and urged her along. She disappeared through the door, and I knew I'd never see her again.  
After what seemed like hours, we finally seemed to be gaining the upper hand. Dead stormtroopers littered the ground, stumbling us as we fought.  
A mammoth explosion rocked the building, sending everyone to the ground with a fresh shower of dust and stone. A stormtrooper descended upon me, and I quickly raised my lightsaber so he ran himself onto it. He collapsed over me, dead weight. I sat up, pushing him off me as I struggled to stand. Jolts of fear shocked through my body.  
Kara!  
Gasping, I stumbled tot he closet I'd hidden her in. The door was ajar. I yanked it wide open and dove inside.  
She wasn't there.  
"Kara, I whispered, calling to her. I lifted folds of Jedi robes out of the basket, but I didn't see her. "Kara?" I said, louder. I was beginning to panic. Suddenly I couldn't breathe, I couldn't think.  
"Callie!" Geith yelled.  
"Geith!" I answered, staggering out into the collapsing room. He grabbed my arms and held me up. I was shaking violently.  
"Are you all right?  
I shook my head. "She's gone, Geith."  
"What?"  
"I put her in there, to keep her safe, but she's not there, anymore, she's gone! You have to help me find her-"  
"Everyone out!" someone yelled. "It's gonna go!"  
"No!" I cried as Geith tried to pull me out. "No! Geith, we have to get her!"  
"It's too late, Callista! Come on!"  
"No!" I screamed, pulling against his hold. "Geith, we have to find her!"  
Geith picked me up and ran. "You'll do her no good if you're crushed!" he yelled.  
"Put me down!" I pleaded. "Geith, please!" I was furious. Why wouldn't Geith do anything to save his daughter? The walls were collapsing around us, filling the air with choking dust. Geith sprinted out of the building. The planet's dim sunlight burned my eyes. Geith set me down and, sobbing, I stumbled back towards it. He grabbed my arm and held me back.   
"Callista, no!"  
A terrible rumbling shuddered the ground beneath us. "No!" I screamed, stretching out my arms and reaching out through the Force, thinking maybe I could hold the building up.  
Fear...the dark side...  
The hospital collapsed into a pile of rubble, exhaling dust like a death rattle.  
  
  
If there had been anyone inside the hospital when it came down, they didn't survive to make themselves known. We searched the rubble for hours, but we found no survivors.  
"Maybe somebody has her," I said, seated on a boulder. Geith sat beside me, holding me, his face anguished at the loss of our baby. But he shook his head.   
"No, Callie, she's gone. Reach out...there's nothing there."  
I saw up straight, clutching the rock like a life preserver. I was afraid to reach out, because I already knew she wasn't there. Gingerly, as if touching a hot stove, I reached out for the familiar place Kara filled.  
Empty.  
I gasped and jerked with the searing heat. My hands flew to my mouth and I began rocking back and forth. "No...no...no..." I murmured.  
"Callie," Geith said, his voice cracking. He reached for me, but I shied away.  
"Don't," I managed. "I just-I just need t-to think..."  
"Geith! Callie!" Soonta was running towards us. "Thank the Force you're all right. I was beginning to think-" His voice trailed off when he saw my shock. "What happened?" He glanced around. "Not Kara-"  
I nodded rapidly. "I-I can't feel her..."  
"Oh, Callie...Geith...I'm so sorry." He reached out to try and embrace me. I abruptly stood.  
"I'm going to find her," I said. "I refuse to believe she's dead. I can find her..."  
"Callie," Geith said gently. "She's gone..."  
"Don't say that!" I snapped. "She's alive. And I'm going to find her."  
  
  
Geith and Soonta and I returned to the Chu'unthor amid condolences and comforting hands. I felt none of it, though. I was numb. The Chu'unthor was virtually empty, compared to the bustling, wonderful place it had been when I first came five years ago. It was full of voids-presences that had been there forever, no more. I was appalled at the state of the Jedi. I buried my head in Geith's shoulder and wept.  
"Callista."  
I looked up. Master Altis stood before us, his features more weathered and, if possible, his hair whiter. Shakily, I stepped away form Geith and bowed formally. "Master," I said, trying to keep my voice as even as possible. "I need your help."  
Unexpectedly, Master Altis enfolded me in his arms. I exhaled, as if his embrace lifted some of the burden off my back. "Soonta told me everything. We will do what we can."  
  
We searched. I spent hours in the meditation room, stretching out to the galaxy and hoping to find some scent of her presence. Everywhere I went, I searched the crowds for babies in arms. Every time I heard a baby's cry, I tensed and looked around expectantly. I couldn't sleep. I sat up at night and continued to search. I didn't eat; anything I swallowed only stayed down until I thought about Kara.  
And I thought about her every second.  
And so I stopped eating.  
I drew on the Force for energy, replenishing myself with its power rather than with food and sleep.  
Losing Kara was like losing my mother, father, and brother all over again. It left a crater deep in my heart vastly larger than any other existing there. My determination to find her, I think, was born of a fear of losing control over my life. By finding her and bringing her back, I could keep that control.  
But it was not meant to be.  
  
  
I sighed and shut the computer off. "I can't think of anything else to try," I said leaning back and looking at Geith. "Did you find anything?"  
He shook his head dejectedly. "Nothing." He looked at me, seeming like an old, battle-worn man. "I think we have to accept the possibility that she's gone for good."  
I nodded tremulously. It was only logical. If she was alive, we would have found her by now. What's more, I couldn't feel her through the Force at all. I climbed onto Geith's lap and let his arms enfold me. "I should never have left her in that closet," I said.  
"You had no idea what would happen. You thought you were protecting her." He kissed the top of my head. It's not your fault."  
I was silent for a moment. "The other night I had a dream that she'd never disappeared," Geith said. "She was five, maybe six years old. She and I were on Chad, playing on the beach. We were building a sandcastle. She was so excited-she wanted to make a castle big enough to live in, but every time she started, a wave came in and washed it away. She didn't seem to mind though. She loved to feel the waves crashing over her legs. And then one wave came and..." I took a deep breath. "When it receded it had taken it with her. I jumped in the water after her, and I saved her. I held her in the waste-deep water, and she was laughing and shrieking. She was having so much fun."  
"Callista?"  
I sat up. Soonta was standing apprehensively in the doorway. "I'm sorry to bother you," he said. "Master Altis wants to speak with you."  
I looked at Geith. "I'll meet you later, okay?"  
He nodded. "Okay."  
Carefully, I stood up and walked to where Soonta was standing, my eyes on the floor. Soonta took my arm, stopping me for a moment. "Are you all right? You're pale."  
I nodded. "I'm fine," I said, and kept walking. Before I'd taken my third step, my knees buckled and my vision went black. As I clutched the wall to try and keep myself up. Geith yelled my name and thunderous feet ran to catch me before I hit the floor.  
  
I faded in and out of consciousness for several days. Geith was usually witting or sleeping beside me when I was aware. Sometimes I heard him speaking in muffled voices, arguing more often than not. But hearing him, all I wanted to do was roll over and go back to sleep.  
"It's important that I speak to her, Geith."  
"What did I tell you?" Geith hissed. "She's sick, Djinn. Give her a while."  
"Geith, I have some information for the two of you. She needs to hear it."  
A pause. "Kara?"  
Master Altis didn't respond verbally, though I could imagine his grave nod. Cautious footsteps padded into the bedroom, and Geith gently touched my arm.   
"Callie," he whispered. "Master Altis is here."  
I rolled over and sluggishly sat up. "Hello, Master," I said. My throat was dry and my voice husky.  
Master Altis' kindly face cracked into a gentle smile. "Hello, Callista." He sat on the edge of the bed, watching me and Geith, who sat beside me on the floor. "How are you feeling?"  
I shrugged. "As well as can be expected."  
Djinn nodded. "We've received new information, and I thought you should know."  
"What?" Geith prompted.   
"Plett's apprentice, Katrinna Ghalas, was severely injured in the battle. Before she crossed over, she confessed to disclosing your location to Imperial operatives. She let them know that Vader's wife was there, as well as their infant children."  
Immediately, I understood. The stormtrooper captain had commanded that all the infants be spared.  
"They were looking for Padmé's babies," I said.  
"And mistook Kara for one of them," Geith finished.  
Djinn nodded.  
I sighed. "Did Padmé and Obi-Wan escape safely?" I asked.  
"Yes," Master Altis replied.  
I nodded. "Then she didn't die in vain."  
"What?!" Geith almost shouted.  
I reached out and grasped his hand. "Later, Geith," I turned to Master Altis. "Thank you, Master," I said.  
He nodded. "I'm glad you understand that now, Callista."  
Geith scoffed. "Master, could you excuse us for a moment, please?"  
I looked at Djinn and nodded assent. "I'll speak with you later, Master."  
Once Master Altis had left, I looked at Geith. He was staring at me in disbelief. "What are you thinking, baby?" he said.  
"Those children are the Jedi's last hope," I explained. "It was prophesied that a Chosen One would come and balance the Force. That Chosen one was Anakin Skywalker. Now he's fallen to the dark side. The only one who can turn him back so he can fulfill that prophecy is one of those children. They will save the lives of millions."  
"But-"  
"It is better that one child is lost than the entire galaxy is destroyed at the hands of evil."  
Geith shook his head. He moved from the floor and sat on the bed. "What's the matter with you, Callie? How much are you going to let these people take before you expect to see something in return?"  
"What are you talking about, Geith? These people gave me my life back. Master Altis taught me almost everything I know. The Jedi helped me find my place." I put my hands on either side of his face. "They brought me to you." I sighed. "I'm in their debt."  
Geith shook his head. "And your brother...your father...your daughter? They're just, what, payments?"  
I groaned, frustrated. "Not at all. None of them died senselessly. Think about it: Josef died protecting us. So did my father. And Kara-she saved the two that will save the galaxy. It's a chain, Geith. Everything happens for a reason. I'm not saying that I'm happy they died. Hell, no! I wish they hadn't. But I'm not going to say they didn't die without a reason. It makes it easier to deal with the loss if I know something good came out of it. Don't you see that?"  
"Callie, you're reading far too much into this, trying to make sense of a bunch of unconnected and-" he grabbed my hand. "-unnecessary losses."  
I looked at our hands. "What are you saying?"  
"They've taken almost everything form you to keep you her, but you have no obligation to stay."  
I shook my head. I couldn't believe Geith was saying this. "If I have nothing to lose, what would it cost me to stay?"  
Geith hesitated only a little before saying, "Me."  
I coughed and sat up straight. "What?"  
"Callie, we both know I could never dedicate my life to this. The life of the Jedi isn't for me."  
"I thought you said it answered every question in your life, that everything made sense now."  
He shook his head. "Every answer keeps bringing up more questions. I can't live like this, Callie."  
"Geith-"  
"I want you to come with me. I want to be with you, Callie, but not here. It's especially dangerous for you. You're a Jedi."  
I shook my head. "I'm safer here than anyplace else...we both are."  
"Callie-"  
"I won't abandon the Jedi, Geith." I said, and sniffed to keep my tears at bay. "I'm staying here." I met his surprised stare. "I'm sorry."  
He didn't answer, so I stood shakily and walked out into the main hallway.  
I wandered the halls of the Chu'unthor for the better part of an hour, thinking. I wanted to scream, I wanted to cry. Geith and I had been together for four years. After everything we'd been through, could he really just...leave? Was his sudden antagonism against the Jedi so intense that we was willing to leave me behind. I loved him, but I could not break from the Jedi. I knew he loved me, but he wouldn't stay. Losing Kara had put a rift between us-the one thing that would have made us a family had broken us apart.   
When I got back to our apartment, the lights were out. I didn't need to turn them on to see that half of the clothes were gone from the closet, and most of the drawers were empty.  
I leaned against the wall and slid to the floor. In the cold privacy of the dark, I cried. 


	14. No More Heart to Bruise

"He didn't leave a number or anything?"  
I shook my head. "No."  
Across from me, Soonta was sitting in the near-empty mess hall, picking at a plate of fruits, though neither of us were particularly hungry.  
"So, what're you going to do?" he asked after a moment of silence.  
I shrugged. "I don't know. Probably stay on board until they need me for a mission."  
"You're not going after him?"  
"I tried convincing him, but he's more stubborn than I am. If he wants to come back, he will." I sighed. "Anyway, I have no idea where he'd be. It really was stupid of him to do that, you know? We're wanted on virtually every planet in the galaxy. Where could he go?"  
Soonta popped a berry in his mouth. "It's a big galaxy," he said.  
"Yeah." I stared at the table. "This isn't the life I hoped for, when I came to train as a Jedi."  
"Nor I," agreed Soonta. "But this is the life we chose."  
I laughed ruefully. "I used to think about how my life would be different, if I hadn't gone with Master Altis that morning."  
"And? Where would it have left you?"  
I shrugged. "I'd probably be married, three kids, stifling myself under my uncle's business. Never leaving the planet. Never experiencing the galaxy as I have." I looked at Soonta. "What about you?"  
Soonta sighed. "I would have given up long ago. It may be a hard life, but it's the life I'm meant to live. "Both of us." He looked deep into my eyes. "You will do great things, Callista, that much I'm sure of. All you have to do is hang in there. It will come to you." He smiled. "Destiny's funny that way."  
  
  
For a few weeks I believed I could fool myself into believing that Geith was just out on a mission, or in the next room. If I poked my head into the bedroom, he'd be there, dozing, with a bookplate rising and falling on his chest. But every time I did, the sheets were only as rumpled as I had left them. After a week or so, I started sleeping in the chair or on the floor, leaving the bed straightened, some kind of trap.  
As a method of distraction, or perhaps not at all, I accepted the Council's assignment to catalog all the names of the deceased Jedi as they came in. The archives filled and Geith's name never appeared.  
And then he did, two weeks later, in Master Altis' office.  
"Djinn," I said (as we became fellow Jedi, I was no longer required to call him 'Master,' or so he said.) "I've got another transmission ready for the archives. Do you mind if I-" and then I noticed Geith's large form filling the chair opposite his desk. He didn't turn around, but his head dipped considerably, when I spoke. At the moment I wanted nothing more than to kiss him and then kick his head right off his shoulders for leaving in the first place.  
Instead, I backed up a step and turned on my heel. "I didn't know you had company. I'll come back later."  
"Just a moment, Callista," Djinn said, invoking his tone that allowed no argument. "You should be here."  
Cursing under my breath, I turned and sat down beside Geith, but I refused to look at him, even after I felt his eyes burning into my cheek.  
"Geith has information that I think you should hear," Djinn said. "Apparently, Palpatine isn't finished with Belsavis. He knows there are still Jedi there, and he wants to be rid of them."  
"So we evacuate them," I suggested.  
Geith shook his head. "He'll just find us again. We need to take them out before he takes us out."  
Finally, I glared at him. "Perhaps you've forgotten that we do not take the offensive."  
He shrugged. "They did attack us first."  
I sighed and shook my head.  
"He does have a point, Callista," Djinn said. "Palpatine has a large battleship built in the Moonflower Nebula. He calls it the Eye of Palpatine."  
"Creative," I deadpanned.  
"I'm not sure how much longer we've got before it kicks into gear," Geith said. "Whoever you get to run this mission, we should leave soon."  
Djinn folded his hands. "I was under the impression that you were finished with the Jedi, Geith."  
Geith shrugged. "I'm not doing this for the Jedi. I'm doing this for my daughter they killed." He looked at me. "And for they life they took from me."  
My cheeks burned, and I stared down at my hands.  
Djinn looked at the two of us. "Why don't you two go and discuss this? I do suggest you hurry, however. We are on a timetable."  
I nodded, and stood abruptly. Geith followed me out of Djinn's office. I was burning with furious embarrassment. I felt ridiculous facing him again.  
"Callie! Callie, wait-"  
Geith caught up to me and grabbed my arm, tightly, so I couldn't wrench away. "Will you just listen to me for a minute?" He turned me around to face him. "Let me explain."  
"What's to explain?" I said. "You gave me a choice, I made it, you left. It seems pretty straightforward to me." I tried to keep walking.  
"No, wait-" He pilled me into a side hall, so narrow our bodies were pressed together. "I was confused, Callie. I was scared. You can't say you weren't too. I'm sorry I left. I meant to call, but-"  
"-but what?" I snampped. "Geith, I didn't know where you were-" I paused to swallow my tears."  
"I'm sorry, baby, he said, taking me by surprise when he wrapped his arms around me. What surprised me even more was that I hugged him back, burying my face in his shoulder.  
"I will never leave you again," he said. "I promise."  
Coming to my senses, I pushed him away. "How am I supposed to believe you now? How am I supposed to trust you?"  
Geith ran his finger through his hair desperately. "Callie, I've never given you a reason not to trust me before-"  
"Evin," I corrected.  
"Well, okay, but we sorted that out! You now I had nothing to do with any of it. My point is," he continued, putting his hands on my shoulders. "You've always been able to trust me. If you believe that's true, then you can trust me now."  
Well, he had me there.  
I sighed. "Hold still," I said, raising my hands to either side of his head and reaching through the Force. I hated it, using the Force to read his mind, but it was a foolproof method.  
I rose on tiptoe and kissed him, pressing closer in one meager space.  
  
  
"What is that?"  
"One of the newer Incom designs." Geith stroked the hull like it was a pet. "It's called a Y-wing."  
I regarded the battered Y-wing incredulously. "Newer?" I repeated.  
"It's been loved."  
I smiled and tossed our supplies into the cargo hold. "That's all of it," I said, standing up and wiping my hands on my pants. "Let's go."  
"Just a minute."  
Geith and I turned around to see Djinn and Soonta coming towards us.  
"You're leaving, then?" Djinn asked  
I nodded. "We didn't expect a good-bye party."  
Soonta shrugged. "It was supposed to be a surprise."  
I smiled and hugged him. "We'll see you later. We'll be back before the month's out.  
Soonta squeezed me once before releasing me. "I'll miss you," he said, and turned to Geith.  
Djinn smiled warmly and we bowed, formally. "Thank you for everything, Master," I said, reaching out to hug him.  
"I'm very proud of you, Callista. You've done well." He patted my shoulder. "It is an honor to have been your Master."  
I smiled and looked over my shoulder. "It's time for us to leave."  
Djinn nodded. "May the Force be with you both, then."  
I nodded, and bounded to the ship. I climbed up the ladder and before closing the hatch, I waved once more to Soonta and Djinn. Then Geith lifted off , and we slowly crawled into space. I sat in the gunner's chair of the Y-wing, watching the Chu'unthor grow smaller and smaller. I remembered coming here, five years ago, watching as we came in.   
How much had changed.  
"Callie?" Geith said over his shoulder.  
"Yeah?"  
"Whatever happens, baby, I swear I won't leave you. Okay? I promise. And I still want to marry you, if we live through this."  
I smiled and squeezed his hand between the chairs. "We'll live through it," I said. "I love you."  
"I love you too."  
As I sank back into my trance, I left my hand intertwined with Geith's.  
"Callie, wake up."   
Geith squeezed my fingers to bring me back to consciousness. I blinked and sat up, trying vainly to stretch in our meager space.  
"Are we there yet?" I said.  
"This is where the coordinates said they'd be, but all there is here is a bunch of asteroids."  
I craned my neck to look out Geith's viewport. All around u, I saw thousands of asteroids. Pink and oranges gassed settled like a gateway around them and through them.  
"This is the Moonflower Nebula?" I asked.  
"The very same."  
"How do we know what to look for?"  
"I would say, look for something big," he replied.  
I reached over his shoulder and flicked on his scanner. "Wow. There really is not much of anything out-"  
The blast of a turbolaser came out of nowhere, knocking our Y-wing off course.  
"What the hell!" Geith cursed and tried to grad us back on course. I, thrown back in my seat, scanned the asteroids for our assailants.  
Nothing.  
Another shot.  
"Where are they coming from?" I cried, augmenting the shields. Geith hauled the ship around and headed for the source of the attack.  
"That has to be it!" Geith shouted, keeping our bucking ship under weak control. "Hold on!"  
I scanned the field for the next laser blast, and finally my eyes rested on an asteroid, larger than the others around it. Lasers erupted from it, faster and faster.  
"There!" I said, pointing above us. "It's one of the asteroids!"  
"What?"  
"It's disguised! Pull up!"  
Geith wheeled the ship up ninety degrees and headed straight toward the asteroid, firing the turbolasers.  
"We need to land!" I said. "Can you get close enough?"  
"Gimme a minute," Geith replied, making adjustments to the control panel and accelerated closer to the asteroid. We bucked and dodged lasers and asteroids; Geith even spun the limited Y-wing to keep us from being reduced to atoms. Still we were hit more than once, the super-concentrated energy blackening the hull and sending sheets of flaming metal in all directions.  
"Geith!" I cried as our stabilizer gave out, sending us into a perpetual spin.   
"I know!" he yelled over the blaring alarms. "Hang on! I can get us down."  
Steering against the lack of our stabilizer, Geith pulled us out of the spin. By then we were close enough to see the docking bays built into the craters of the asteroid. Somehow Geith managed to direct us to one, setting us down none too gently. He quickly powered down the ship to keep it from overheating.  
"Are you all right?" Geith asked.  
I unstrapped my crash webbing and pushed on the cockpit cover to lift it. "I'm fine. You?"  
"Ready to get out of this tank," he replied.  
He slung himself over the side and landed lightly on the deck. I followed him letting him catch me and set me down. I looked around. The docking bay was virtually empty, devoid of any life, apart from Geith and I.  
"Where is everyone?" Geith wondered aloud.  
I reached out, probing the entire ship for life. Then, in disbelief, I shook my head. "That's impossible," I muttered, reaching out farther and getting the same results.  
"What?"  
"There's no one else on this ship," I said. "It's completely empty."  
  
"So, if there's no one here, mission accomplished, right? Or at least a false alarm."  
I shook my head, casting a sodium bean ahead of us in the deserted corridor. "These are droids. Haven't you seen them? Nothing special, but they're running this ship, I think."  
Geith shuddered. "This place gives me the creeps," he said. "It feels like a tomb."  
We kept walking, our footsteps echoing in the cavernous hall. "If we could find a terminal," I said, but didn't finish the sentence. An MSE skittered across the hall in front of us.  
"A cleaning droid," I marveled. "To clean up after whom?"  
Geith shook his head. "Maybe they're expecting company."  
"Maybe," I said.  
The MSE whirred to a stop in front of one of the doors lining the halls. The door slid open and the tiny droid disappeared inside.  
"Catch the door before it closes!" I said, running for the door and reaching for it, mentally catching it and holding it open.  
The interior was furnished like an office, with a desk, holopad, and a console.  
"Score," Geith said, slipping into the desk chair. As he typed furiously, I stuck my head out into the hall. No guards, as I knew there wouldn't be. There was a plaque beside the door I hadn't noticed during my flight. It read, in basic, COMMANDER'S QUARTERS.  
"Did you see this?" I asked.  
"What, the plaque? Yeah," he replied, not looking up from his typing.  
"That means there has been-or will be-people on board."  
"Aw, come on!" Geith said. I looked back to see him smack the console screen with the heel of his hand.  
"What?" I asked, coming around to read the screen:  
ALL SYSTEMS IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE WILL. NO FURTHER INFORMATION IS NECESSARY.  
"The Will," he repeated. "What is that?"  
Geith shrugged. He typed in MISSION STATEMENT  
PURPOSE OF THIS INFORMATION  
TIMETABLE STATUS  
TIME OF HYPERSPACE DEPLOYMENT IN ACCORDANCE WITH PARAMETERS OF THE WILL. MISSION ON SCHEDULE.  
"What the hell..." I muttered. "Hyperspace jump?"  
"To pick up troops, maybe?" Geith suggested.  
"Of course. To keep the mission, completely secret until..." I bit my lip. "We can't let this thing go into hyperspace."  
Geith nodded. "How long do you think we have?"  
Before I could answer, I heard a mechanical whirring in the hallway. "Shhh," I said, creeping to the door and peeking outside. The whirring grew louder and louder until at last two large droids turned down the hallway.  
"Sithspawn," I whispered, and ducked back into the office. "Get your blaster ready," I said. "We might have to fight."  
Geith sat up. "What?"  
"Shhhh!" I said again, and mouthed, "droids." I ducked back into the office and closed the door, leaving it open only a sliver to see through. Geith came closer to the door, blaster drawn. He peered over my shoulder, breathing heavily.   
"We can't let them corner us in here," he said.   
"So what do you suggest, run? They'll gun us down the minute we get into the hall."  
"We can risk it. Come on!"  
He burst into the hall, and fired on the droids.  
"Geith, wait!" I yelled. I ran after him to cover him so we could escape. "Run!" I shouted, lifting my blade to deflect another bolt. "I'll catch up!"  
Geith took several back pedaling steps, but didn't go far. I summoned the Force and sent a huge shove of power at the patrol droids. They fell back like saplings in the wind. We ran down the hallway, searching for cover. Before long, however, more patrol droids were tailing us, firing all around us. Pain shot through my side, a gnawing ache that made me double over. Geith pulled me along, keeping me up. "There!" I shouted. "That maintenance door!"  
Geith took aim and blew a hole in the door. We leapt through the hole into darkness and heat. We took over beneath the metal gangplank and laid still. When the patrol droids didn't follow, we sat up and breathed relief.   
"Well, that was fun," Geith said.  
After I'd caught my breath, I took in our surroundings. It was hot and humid. We were sitting on a catwalk, above a huge, steaming vat. "What is it?" I breathed, holding my hand to my nose to block the sour smell.  
Geith sniffed. "Enzyme tank."  
Then the droids pushed through the hole in the wall, trying to follow us, but their bulk was too large. The nearest one swung its arm blindly, firing madly in all directions. I raised my lightsaber to hack of the arm, but before I could, the droid have one final heave and broke through the hole.  
Geith and I backed up rapidly. Suddenly, there was no ground beneath my feet. I screamed and fell down towards the enzyme tank. As I fell, I knocked my forehead against the sharp edge. The room spun in all directions, even worse than before. Stars floated around my head.  
"No!" Geith grabbed my arm, stopping my fall. With his other hand, he emptied his blaster into the patrol doing. They collapsed, smoking and sparking, one by one over my head and splashing into the tank below.  
Gasping, Geith looked down at me, dangling below him. "You all right?"  
I nodded. "Pull me up!"  
He did, and helped me brush off. "Oh, your head..." he breathed, wiping blood from my forehead. "Come on, let's get our stuff. We need to find a new place to hole up."  
Very carefully, we crept back into the hall and cautiously made our way back.   
"How can we pull this off?" Geith muttered, checking a cross hall before continuing.   
"We need to find a weak spot," I said. "Some vulnerable point that we can get through. But this will is going to make that difficult."  
"Watch out!" Geith and I ducked through the nearest door as two patrol droids came into the hall. I sealed the door behind us, and looked around.   
"What is this?"  
I joined Geith in the center of the room and looked up. The roof went up at least ten, maybe fifteen meters, a high shaft wire with circuits and blinking lights. "Computer core," I replied. The same idea came to both of us at the same time.  
"This is it," Geith said, and I nodded.  
"The weak spot," I added, but then I frowned. "They can't possibly just leave this so open," I muttered. Looking around, I picked up a spanner resting benignly on the floor, and hurled it up into the shaft. Nothing happened for a few moments, but then the shaft erupted in automatic blaster fire. The spanner dropped back to the floor, a smoking semi-solid piece of metal. "An enclision grid."  
"Right," Geith said decisively. "Looks like we'll need to find another way." He started back for the door.  
"No," I said, holding up my hand. "This is it."  
"Callie, imagine what that grid will do to us!" Geith argued. "We'd be cooked. I'm not going up there, and I'm sure as hell not letting you go!"  
I sighed. "What else can we do, Geith?" I asked, staring at him, and he shrugged.  
"I say we go for help," he said.  
"We can't!" I protested. "We have no idea when this thing's gonna take off!"  
"We can't take it on ourselves!"  
"Just give me time," I pleaded. "I can figure it out."  
Geith sighed. "We may not have time!" he said.  
"Then why are we sitting her arguing?" I asked, then walked over to him. "Geith, these people killed our daughter," I said, putting a hand on his chest. "I'm not going to just run away. I am going to see this through." I looked up into his eyes. They were pained at Kara's memory.  
"Please?" I asked.  
He nodded. "Okay," he said. "Okay."  
Holding my hand against my bleeding forehead, we cautiously made our way to our quartermaster's office.  
"Let's get something for that," Geith said. "I have a-" his voice trailed off, and he looked at me with confusion.  
"What is it?" I asked, just as confused as he looked. I looked into the office and gasped.  
All our supplies were gone.  
"It's the Will," I said. It's working against us."  
Geith nodded. "It's hunting us." 


	15. No Far-Off Land

I jerked awake and lay gasping for several minutes. I was at home, on the Chu'unthor, in bed. By some miracle, my sudden jerk hadn't woken Geith, asleep beside me. After a moment, I sighed. It had been a dream, all of it. There was no Eye of Palpatine, no Jedi purge.   
Suddenly, I heard a baby's cry from the next room.  
Kara was alive.  
Biting my lip, I held back my tears and slipped out of bed. I walked slowly, every one of my breaths coming as a shallow gasp. It's going to be a dream, I thought. I'll go in there and she'll disappear...  
Brimming with trepidation, I stepped into the parlor. The bassinet was there, against the opposite wall. Kara was still there, crying.  
Just before I could see into the bassinet, I stopped and closed my eyes. A few tears trickled down my cheeks. Please...By the Force, let her be there...I summoned my courage, and reached for the edge of the bassinet and peered in.  
Kara's sobs quieted as she saw my face. I covered my mouth and quickly picked her up. "It's okay," I whispered, so unspeakably happy I could barely form the words. I sat down and began racking her back and forth. "What's wrong, little one?" I muttered. "Did you have a bad dream?"  
"Yes."  
I froze, and lowered Kara off my shoulder. I stared at her tiny baby's face, her gray eyes, smoldering with knowledge. She glared at me, hateful. I swallowed, and stammered. "W-what did you dream, love?"  
Kara crawled off my lap and stood in the center of the room. As she spoke, she began to change, grow. "I dreamed that my Mama and Daddy abandoned me when they realized I wasn't what they wanted. They left me to die in a dark alley, food for the vermin."  
She slowly grew taller and her hair longer. He body slimmed and curved, her breasts filled out. But her hateful stare never left my eyes, never changed. "Then I dreamed that someone found me and raised me. An old, dark man, and dark women. They gave me power, and made me strong."  
She held out a hand and used that power to lift me to my feet and bring me to stand before her "And when I found my mommy to show her, she was angry and she killed me."  
She and I stood face to face, she now fully grown. She was beautiful. Dark, lustrous hair ran down her back, and she was wrapped in black silk. She took one step close, pressing her face close to mine. "You'd never do that, would you, Mommy?"  
I bit my lip. "Kara..."  
Furiously, she shrieked and rose off the ground and raised a dagger over my head. I screamed.  
"Kara!"  
Then I sat up with a scream. Geith grabbed me and held me tight against his chest. "Shhh...shhh...it's okay, baby. It's okay."  
I was trembling violently, terrified. I couldn't move. I was frozen with shock and fear. I took three deep breaths, and relaxed.  
"Oh, Geith..." I whispered.  
"What happened, love?" he whispered into my hair.  
"A nightmare, I answered, exhaling again. "Kara-fully grown and turned to the dark side. It was so real, Geith---"  
"This place I getting to you," Geith said, and I looked around. The Eye of Palpatine. We were still there. We'd moved from the quartermaster's office to some other nondescript room. All our supplies were gone-neither of us had eaten since before we'd left and we were exhausted. Geith had suggested we sleep in shifts.   
"How long was I asleep?"  
"Not long," he replied. "Maybe fifteen minutes."  
I sat up and ran my hands over my face. "We won't accomplish anything this way."  
Geith nodded. "I think it's time we go for help."  
I shook my head. "We don't have time," I said. "We have to do it. Geith, I can help you levitate up the shaft, and make that enclision grid misfire. And anyway, how are we supposed to get out of here-and back in again, with the defense system outside?"  
"I can get us past that, Callie. I got us in, right?"  
I didn't reply.  
"Trust me, Callie. We can do it. This thing won't go before we get back."  
If this thing does beat us, I thought, we'll all die...  
"Come on, Callie. This place is a nightmare. We have to get out of here."  
I sighed, and nodded. I was sick of this place already. "Okay."  
We found our way back to the docking bays. Our battered Y-wing was still there, surrounded by landers and Blastboats, just as we had left it.  
Geith checked the Y-wing over, and shook his head. This thing's not gonna fly," he said. He looked at the nearest Blastboat. "We can use this."  
As he checked over the Skipray, I hung back, my arms wrapped around myself. I knew I wasn't going to leave. I knew it. We would never have enough time. "Geith," I whispered, but he didn't hear me.  
"Why they chose Skipray Blastboats, I don't know. They're so cumbersome," he fumbled with the keypad for a moment, and the hatch hissed open. "And they're easier than hell to break into."  
"Geith," I said again, and this time he turned around.  
"Yeah?"  
I licked my lips and shook my head. "We can't do this."  
His face fell. "What? Callista, we can do it." He hooked his fingers through his belt and walked closer to me. "The station lays its defensive fire in a double ellipse pattern, that's all. We got in, didn't we?"  
I shook my head. "The Force was with us or we'd never have made it."  
His lips twisted in a wry smile. "I'd like to think I had something to do with that."  
Did he really think I was trying to insult his abilities? He could fly; I knew no one better at it. He knew that. "You did. Of course you did, Geith. The Force-"  
"I know," he said with a wave of his hand. "The point is, there's other ways of doing this than getting ourselves killed."  
I bit my lip. I didn't want him to be angry. That hadn't solved our last argument. I started to tell him that, but that would only make him more angry. I knew he didn't want to be the one to go up the shaft. Really, the idea of being at the mercy of an enclision grid with only a girl that was 10 meters down protecting him wouldn't be appealing to anyone.  
"Geith, if there was any way for me to go up that shaft, you know I-"  
His eyes flared with anger. That didn't work either. "And I'm telling you neither of us has to do it, Callie. It's not going to take us that long to get clear of the Nebula's interference and back to where we can signal for help. Help in dealing with this hunk of junk-" he waved his arm around the hangar. "-and at least let Plett know what's coming at him. As it is, if we try to be heroes and fail, they won't know zip until they catch a lapful of smoking plasma."  
I sighed. "They won't know if we make a run for it get nailed, either."  
"It's a double ellipse with one randomized turn. I've got it scoped, Callie. It'll be tougher in that tub than in the Y-wing, but it can be done."  
I started to protest, but he put his hand on my shoulder and one finger on my lips. "You don't have to be such a hero, baby. There's always ways of doing things without getting killed."  
Don't you see? If you go, you'll be killed anyway...That's the last thing I want.  
"Geith," I said instead. "Sometimes there's not."  
With a sigh of frustration, he threw up his hands. "Now you're starting to sound like old Djinn!"  
I closed my eyes. "That doesn't make what I'm saying less true."  
"The old boy's too damn ready to tell other people how they should die for a guy who hasn't been off that festering gasball of his for a hundred years! Callie, I've been around. I know what I'm talking about."  
"And I know that we have no idea how long we've got until this thing goes into hyperspace. None. If we destroy it, it's gone. Dead. If we leave it, run for it-"  
"There's nothing wrong with jumping clear and getting help!"  
"Except that it'll lose us our one sure chance."  
"It'll lose us our chance of getting the hell blown up along with this thing, you mean!"  
"Yes," I said, frustrated. "That's what I mean. Will you help me or not?"  
He put his hands on his hips and looked down at me with a hint of a smile. "You stubborn fish rider," he said. His smile faded, and he averted his eyes for just a moment. "This won't bring her back, you know."  
I nodded, and swallowed. "Don't leave me, Geith. I can't do it alone."  
Something changed, ever so subtly, in his eyes.  
"You promised," I added, quietly. Trying desperately to control my tears of fear.  
Geith sighed. "I know. I promise I'll be back."  
My heart sank. He was going to leave me again. Slowly, I bowed my head and nodded.  
"Hey," he said, touching my chin. He kissed me gently. "I'll be back." I put my hands on his cheeks and kissed him back.  
"Please-" I said, and he broke away and walked over to the Blastboat. Before disappearing inside, he waved at me one more time. I didn't wave back, but just watched him lift off and head back out to the asteroid field.  
The shots began, firing in the double ellipse pattern, just like he'd said. The Blastboat bucked and pitched in every direction, avoiding every shot. I held my breath, praying that the random shot wouldn't catch him...  
He dodged it. He was out.  
I breathed a sigh of relief. A laugh may have escaped on it.  
Then, out of nowhere, a second shot destroyed his stabilizer. The Blastboat wheeled out of control, smashing headlong into an asteroid. The debris dragged the ship around until, to my horror, the Blastboat exploded.  
I turned away, squeezing my eyes shut and clenching my teeth. It was over. Geith was gone. Very slowly, the tears came.  
I was on my own now.  
  
  
"Don't do this to me, Geith...don't do this."  
I sat with my back against the wall, alone with the darkness. The central computer gaped above me like a mocking threat, laughing at me, daring me to take it on.  
I was still reeling. Geith, the love of my life, had deserted me, and died in his flight. Never before had I felt so alone. I'd lost everyone, every person that I'd ever loved, or had ever loved me. I was going to die here; if I was lucky, I would fulfill our mission first.  
The mission had to be completed.  
Shakily, I stood up and crossed to one of the many terminals in the room and brought up the security recordings. At least the Will will let me do that, I thought bitterly.  
VISUAL REPLAY  
The entire scene played out again before my eyes, the explosion so bright that it lit up my face.  
That was it.  
I closed my eyes, and cried.  
The mission had to be completed.  
I looked up the shaft. Even though I was alone, the Eye of Palpatine had to be destroyed. I was the one who had to destroy it.  
I took a deep breath and held on to it.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
Epilogue  
  
I can't breathe. It feels like someone is pressing against my lungs, suffocating me. I think I've stopped falling, but my head is reeling and I can't be sure. The back of my skull is flaring with sharp, intense pain. Something is spreading in a puddle around me, soaking my skin and hair.  
Why hasn't the ship blown up yet? By the Force, don't say it didn't work...  
Then, all around me, lights go dark and I can hear systems shutting down.  
No...I try to say, but I lack the strength to more than whisper. No...  
With the Eye of Palpatine simply disabled, anyone can come and resurrect it. The mission will continue, and the Jedi will die.  
I will not let that happen.  
The guns...  
The guns remain intact.  
If I stay...  
The pain is gone. I don't feel anything anymore. As I leave my body, I stand up, and I feel my strength returning, more powerful than ever before.  
I'm sorry, Mama. Once, when I was little, I promised you that when my time came, I would join you, your life seeping through my little-girl fingers and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I hope you can understand why I can't keep that promise. I am a Jedi, and I must fulfill my duty.  
I must stay here; I cannot cross over. As long as I am here, no one will use this ship for evil. Perhaps another Knight will find it, one day, if they survive, and finish what I have started.  
But until that day I will wait, the guardian of a forgotten battlefield.  
Perhaps I will be forgotten, too.  
Life so many before more, I pledge my support to the light side of the Force.  
Long live the Jedi. 


End file.
